


I Want to Hear You Sing

by Hexgirl_Willow



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Gen, Humanstuck, Mafiastuck?, Mentions of Rape, Mentions of addiction, There is singing, haunted pasts, parents in jail or dead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-28
Updated: 2014-07-08
Packaged: 2018-02-06 13:31:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 42,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1859793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hexgirl_Willow/pseuds/Hexgirl_Willow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gamzee Makara and Karkat Vantas are moved to L.A. and attend an Arts school. Tavros is the son of a drug lord who's just trying to live his life. When the new kids learn of their fellow classmate's situation the decide to step in, despite his warnings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Beep. Beep.

"Aw, shut the motherfuck up!" 17 year old Gamzee Makara said to his alarm clock as he slammed his hand on the snooze button. He rose from his pillow after about 5 more minutes of sleep. Today was going to be his first day at new school after his family which consisted of him, his dad, Henry Makara, his biological older brother Kurloz Makara and his adopted brother Karkat Vantas, had to move to L.A. during winter break. After Mr. Makara got a promotion, which required a transfer to California with the promise of a more permanent home for his sons, but also less family time. Neither he nor Karkat had been exceptionally thrilled with the move but it didn't matter, after all this was the 5th school in 3 years and L.A. would be fun. Still feeling groggy Gamzee rose from his bed and strode to his dresser pulling out clothes at random.

"Oh good you're up. Breakfast will be ready in 5 minutes." A voice came from the door way and Gamzee turned to see Karkat leaning against the door framet. Karkat had become a member of the family after his father died from liver cancer. Mr. Makara had been his godfather and Karkat's only option since the only other family he had was an uncle who wouldn't be able to support him. The boys had known each other since they were toddlers so the transition wasn't all that hard.  
Today Karkat was wearing a black long-sleeve shirt with a cherry red crab on it, grey jeans and black and red converse. His dark brown hair was combed to frame his face, but was sticking up in some places.

'Not bad, I guess I should dress to impress too.' Gamzee thought as he went back to looking through clothes.

"Okay Karbro, I'll be down there in a sec." Karkat nodded and left closing the door behind him.  
Gamzee turned back to his dresser deciding to settle for a black T-shirt with a purple skull on the front, his indigo hoodie, black jeans and purple and black pants. After giving himself a once over in the bathroom mirror he put on his face paint. He brushed his teeth then made his way to the kitchen. The house was pretty big, more than enough room for the family of four and pretty state of the art with all kinds of gadgets and buttons that he figured he shouldn't touch.

"Good motherfucking morning dad and bros." Gamzee greeted the men at the table who were chowing down on pancakes and bacon. Kurloz looked up and waved then turned back to his food. Karkat waved him over to the empty spot between him and Kurloz. Gamzee strode over and sat down digging into his food.

"So today's your fist day, Gamzee do you have your meds?" Mr. Makara asks.  
"Yeah pops, in my bag I'll take some after I eat." Gamzee replied. Last time he took the pills without eating first he threw up pretty bad. He did not want a repeat of that. "Good, Kurloz is driving you to the school today since I need to be in the office pretty soon. Take the SUV." Henry replied, tossing Kurloz the keys. Kurloz catches them and nods; he didn't care either way.

 

Kurloz dropped them off at the front of Hussie High School for the Arts. He sent them texts telling them that he would pick them up at 3:30 and sped back home.

"Okay let's get to the office so we get our schedules." Karkat said as he led the way into the school. Gamzee took in all his surroundings, the main hallway was decorated with paintings, on the bulletin board there was something about award winners. He saw some kids walking around carrying guitar, violin, and a lot of other instrument cases.

'Hmm, I can't wait to see what classes I get. I hope I at least get art.' Gamzee thought as he followed Karkat into the main office.

They walked up to the front desk Karkat spoke up fist.

"Karkat Vantas and Gamzee Makara, we're here for our schedules." Karkat said in his I-swear-I-respect-my-elder's voice. Gamzee had to stifle his laugh, when Karkat shot him his shut-the-fuck-up glare.

"Oh yes here are your schedules and locker locations and combinations, welcome to Hussie High." The too perky woman behind the desk said as she handed them their schedules. Gamzee couldn't help but notice that she didn't seem fazed by his clown make-up.

'Must have seen worse' He thought with a small shrug.

"Thank you." Karkat said as he and Gamzee left.

"So what's your first period?" Gamzee asked as they walked around looking for their English class.

"English with Mr. Scratch, what about you?"

"Same here motherfucker. Then I got Theater with Ms. Lolande, Chemistry with Mr. Strider, lunch, Art with Ms. Calliope, Gym with Coach Casey and Math with Mr. English." Gamzee said snickering at the last part, a guy named English teaching math.

"I've got Music with Mr. Noir, Chemistry with Strider, lunch, Creative Writing with Ms. D, Math with Mr. English, Gym with Coach Casey, and then I've got a free period." Karkat said as the turned the corner to the next hall.

"It's the one on the left." Gamzee said and the entered the room with a decorated poster board above the door that said Mr. Scratch right as the second bell rang. The classroom was set up with 12 seats against the walls on the left and right facing each other and creating an aisle in the middle. All eyes were on them as they entered.

"Ah, you must be the new students please introduce yourself." Said the man Gamzee assumed was Mr. Scratch.

"Sup motherfuckers, I'm Gamzee motherfucking Makara, I just turned 17 and me and my bro here just flew in from motherfuckin' D.C." Gamzee said in his deep friendly voice.

"I'm fucking Karkat Vantas, I'm 16 and what he said. Where do we sit?" Karkat asked in his natural grumpy voice that he'd been hiding all morning.

"There are two seats left on either side of the room pick a side." Mr. Scratch said pointing to the empty seats on either side of the room. On the left there was an empty seat near the back next to a Latino kid in a wheelchair who was looking at his notebook, like he could care less about his surroundings and on the left was a seat between a kid with black hair and blue eyes wearing glasses and a an emo looking chick with long brown hair. Karkat chose the seat on the left and Gamzee went to the right walking toward the seat that was to the left of the kid in the wheelchair, who didn't even seem to notice he had incoming company.

On the way to his seat Gamzee took in what he was seeing, the Latino kid was thin but muscular with his brown hair in a fluffy Mohawk. He was wearing a burnt orange hoodie with the Texas Longhorns mascot on the front with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He had 3 earrings in his ear, and a small silver septum in his nose. Gamzee also noticed that there was a thin scar going from his temple down his cheek and under his chin.

'Wonder how that happened' Gamzee thought as he sat down.

'He's pretty cute though' Wait, what? 'Well that was fast. 10 minutes into class and you've already got a crush on someone. At least learn his name first.' Gamzee scolded himself, sneaking a peak at the kid next to him, he was doodling something in his notebook. He then looked up at Karkat to see how he was doing, just fine it looked like. The kid with glasses was talking excitedly to Karkat who looked genuinely interested in what he had to say. 'I might not be the only one with a crush' He thought with a grin, but then he noticed that a small amount of the class looking at him and the kid in the wheelchair. When they looked at the Latino they made faces of disgust and when they looked at Gamzee the expressions changed to… pity? This confused him for a second, but when he looked at them they all looked back down. 'What the fuck?' he didn't have time to further question the situation when the teacher handed out the class syllabus and started explaining what the class would be going over. 

Once the bell rang everyone started to file out, everyone except the wheelchair kid instead he was just now packing up, waiting for everyone else to leave. Gamzee really wanted to talk to him, but he decided to make sure he could find the auditorium where his theater class was. 'Maybe I have another class with him' he thought as he left the classroom.


	2. Just Give Me A Reason

After his other classes it was time for lunch so he made his way to the cafeteria. 'Still no sign of him' Gamzee thought as he got in line thinking about the kid in the wheelchair. As he scanned the room he could easily see the social dynamic of the school now. As with all high schools he was able to tell who was who immediately. Jocks and cool kids in the center, music kids, he recognized some of his theater classmates, and there go the art kids near the left of the room. 'Classic' He thought as he looked to the right he figured that's where most of the writers, dancers, and singers hung out. As he got out of line he looked for Karkat. He saw him and waved heading over to where he was sitting near the right of the room with a small group of kids. He recognized the dorky kid with the glasses and the emo looking girl from their English class.

"Oh cool Gamzee's here. Hi Gamzee, I'm John Egbert." The kid with glasses said excitedly.

"I'm Aradia Megido." The emo girl announced.

"Sollux Captor" said the guy next to her he spoke with a lisp. He had black hair, 3D glasses and a black and yellow hoodie. 

"I'm Terezi Pyrope, you smell like grape jelly, delicious." Said another girl she had on red sunglasses, and red hair, but it looked like it was dyed that color.

'The girl likes motherfucking red' Gamzee concluded.

"I'm Nepeta Leijon, and its furry nice to meet you Gamzee." Said a girl with short black hair that was covered by a blue hat with cat ears, and a big green trench coat.

"And I'm Equius Zahhak." Said an African American guy with big muscles and short black hair and cracked sunglasses he was wearing a blue muscle shirt under a white jacket.

'Wonder how much he can bench' Gamzee thought to himself.

"So Gamzee I saw you checking Tavros out." Aradia said to Gamzee who looked at her after scanning the rest of the faces trying to add them to his slightly dazed memory.

"Was it that obvious? Wait you mean the kid with the wheelchair?" Gamzee asked unsure of who that was.

"Yes, Tavros Nitram, the kid in the wheelchair in first period, I saw you stare at him. I also saw that you noticed the other kids staring." Aradia said with a slightly concerned look on her face, like she was worried about something.

"If that's the case then I'll make this clear now. Stay away from Tavros Nitram, you'll just end up getting the crap pummeled out of you too, and he sure as hell isn't going to talk to you so whatever you're thinking, drop it now." Sollux said in a serious tone. It took Gamzee awhile to process all that he said through his lisp, but after a long awkward pause he just had to ask.

"Why?"

"Because everyone hates him for lying about who he is and now we all know and because of what happened to him recently it's best to stay away." Sollux answered.

"Well what the fuck did he do? What could've happened that made him so hated?" Karkat asked now interested.

"It was revealed that his father was the infamous Rufioh "The Summoner" Nitram one of L.A.'s wealthiest and feared drug lords." Equius answered sipping on some milk before continuing "Prior to The Summoner's arrest, Tavros was kidnapped by one of his rivals The Scorpions, and they held him for ransom. They told The Summoner that if he didn't give them the money Tavros was going to die. I 'm sure Tavros was probably putting up a fight with his attackers, but from what I heard on the news, he lost. After 2 days of being The Scorpions prisoner Tavros was saved by his father and his men, they did a full out raid on the Scorpions' hideout, people were killed and the Scorpions' leader was taken in by The Summoner himself and he turned them both in to the police."

"They beat Tavros pretty bad, that scar on his face is just one of many. I'm sure the time he spent there was pure torture." Terezi spoke up, she looked kind of, sad?

"The worst part is that they're responsible for putting him in that wheelchair and he might be able to walk again, but he probably won't dance ever again." Aradia chimed in.

"Or sing ever since the incident he's refused to speak. If he wasn't good at playing instruments and painting he would've had to transfer." John spoke up.

"Yeah, okay so what I'm hearing is he was taken by some fuckasses who beat the ever loving crap out of him because of who his father is. What I'm not hearing is how that's a reason to hate the guy's guts. You can't choose your fucking family." Karkat said his irritation growing not understanding this situation. How was any of this a valid reason for hating someone?

"Well you see before this, Tavros was really popular, he's smart, talented and he was just really cool and fun to be around." Terezi spoke up. Sollux was fiddling with his phone before he gave it to John to give to Karkat. Gamzee looked over Karkat's shoulder it was a video of Tavros singing "So Sick" by Ne-yo.

"Damn he was good." Karkat muttered. Gamzee had to agree Tavros' voice was smooth and he sung with passion as he performed.

"Yeah he was, but now all he does is paint, and play guitar. He can play the drums and piano but he doesn't as much." John said as the video ended, he grabbed the phone and handed it back to Sollux.

"The reason everyone avoids him is because now he's the designated target by a lot of people he used call friends, including his ex-girlfriend Vriska Serket. Ever since he was released from the hospital she's been one of his main attackers, she makes his life a living hell and anyone who tries to stick up for him just gets their asses handed to them by her goons." Aradia said.

"That's motherfucking awful. So the kid just takes it, he doesn't do a motherfucking thing to make it stop." Gamzee asked his heart was breaking from what he was hearing.

"What the fuck?! Who fucking does shit like that, I mean damn." Karkat said his voice nearing the shouting stage.

"Calm down, Karbro. Not here man." Gamzee said trying to calm him down. Karkat took a deep breath and decided to say no more.

The bell rang and lunch is over.


	3. I've Got You

'So far, so good' the wheelchair bound Latino thought as he made sure the coast was clear for him to get back into the school building. 'If they haven't got me by now it means that they'll get me later, probably after the bell rings. Shit, that means they'll be at it for a while. That's going to hurt.' He thought as he wheeled himself into the building. This was Tavros Nitram and his life pretty much sucked. He hated that he was trapped everywhere he went inside this school, the place that he used to love going to was now his own personal hell. He hated the staring, the beatings, and he hated himself, for letting his guard down and getting taken in the first fucking place.

'No point on dwelling on it now, dad turned himself in, and personally saved me in the end. God, I want to hate him but I know why he did what he did. But now I'm just alone.' He thought to himself as he wheeled to his art class. As he got to the classroom he was glad that he got there before anyone else so he could sit near the back without having to be stared at.

"Oh, hello Tavros did you have a nice winter break?" Ms. Calliope asked. She had pale skin and pale blond hair with green eyes. She spoke with a slight British accent that was fading from years of living in America. Tavros brought out a small notepad and a pen from his hoodie to write down his answer. 'Fairly boring but I had some fun times. How was yours?'

"Oh mine was quite nice. I went back to London and spent time with my family." Ms. Calliope answered with a smile. The bell rang and Tavros made his way to his desk in the back of the class. Before he could pull out his art supplies he looked up and noticed one of the new kids walked in.

'It's the guy with the clown make-up. What was his name? Oh yeah, Gamzee.' He thought as he got a good look at the other boy he had shoulder length black hair that framed his angular face, he was pretty tall, and he wore a lot of purple. 'He's probably already heard the news. Great, another person that'll avoid me at all costs.' He thought as he shifted his gaze to his table. 'Wait this is the only two seat table that isn't filled.' Just as that thought entered his head Gamzee plopped down next to him.

"What's up motherfucker?" Gamzee said offering a lopsided grin. Tavros got out his notepad and scribbled down his response. Gamzee waited for him to finish and Tavros handed him the pad. 

'Uh, nothing much, but why are you talking to me? I figured someone would've warned you by now. It's not a good idea to talk to me.' Gamzee's smile turned into a slight frown before he smiled again. 

"Yeah I heard and I don't think its right for a motherfucker as cute as you to have to deal with that shit." Tavros felt a slight blush in his cheeks, but he shook it off and wrote in his notepad again. 'Um, well that's the nicest thing anyone's said to me in a while, but seriously if you don't stop talking to me people will start staring and then the word will get out, and we'll both get hurt. Trust me, I can handle the bullshit, but I am not letting anyone get hurt because of me.' Gamzee looked up into Tavros' brown eyes they were big, pleading and filled with warning, but also really pretty surrounded by thick curly eyelashes. Tavros was slightly unnerved by Gamzee's indigo colored eyes, but he was not backing down he was not going to let someone else become a target.

"Alright motherfucker whatever you say. In case you didn't catch it before the name's Gamzee Makara." Gamzee said sticking his hand out. Tavros looked around making sure no one was looking, he scribbled in his notebook and he stuck out his hand. 'Tavros Nitram' they shook hands and Tavros could feel a tingle shoot up his arm. 'What the… nope, nevermind, not caring.'

They turned away from each other and set to work on their own projects, Ms. Calliope had asked them to draw a winter landscape, so each boy set to work, stealing glances at each other every so often.

The bell rang. Soon the school day finally came to an end.

Tavros wheeled himself out of the school and made his way to the ramp where he knew he was bound to meet his doom. 'Lo and fucking behold there she is. Shit she looks extra pissed.' Tavros thought as he spotted the spider-bitch Vriska Serket in all her bitchy glory. She had long black hair, menacing blue eyes and blue lipstick and mascara. 'Why I ever dated her is beyond me.' Tavros thought as he calmly rolled down the ramp, he was almost at the bottom when he was suddenly shoved out his chair he wasn't completely expectant of it so when he caught himself on the ground he ended up hurting wrist. 'Shit! It hurts.' Tavros thought as he cradled his right hand with his left hand.

"Did I catch you off guard Toreadumbass? Good I like it when you're surprised." Vriska said as she walked in Tavros' line of sight. He lifted his left hand and flipped her off, this got him kicked in the ribs and he heard a cracking noise and his vision blurred around the edges. 

'Fuck, should've known better.' He felt something hit his head it felt hard and metallic. 'What the hell, she used a bat?' He thought as his vision blurred some more. 'Am I crying or getting a concussion? Maybe both.' He could feel something wet on his face but it was way too warm to be tears. 'Fuck I'm already bleeding.' He wasn't sure how long he could deal with this shit. 'I thought I could handle this today, but damn I'm exhausted.' He thought as he felt something hit his stomach really hard. He immediately coughed up some blood and felt it trickle down his chin and cheek, 'If Dad were here he'd be so pissed right now, all my training down the drain.' He thought as he felt himself lose consciousness. 

Before he could black out completely he heard someone shouting for "Stop", a scream, then silence then he saw a white and gray face come into his line of vision. He knew that face but he couldn't quite remember where he saw it, the face's thin lips were moving but he couldn't hear it that well, it looked like it was saying 'I've got you' he blacked out.


	4. Safe house

Gamzee was furious and it was taking all his strength to not damage the car. He looked down at the sleeping boy whose head was in his lap. He looked like he was having a nightmare. Absentmindedly, Gamzee began to stroke Tavros' hair. It looked like it worked because Tavros stopped his slight whimpering and a small smile came to his full lips. Gamzee smiled 'He has soft motherfucking hair.' Gamzee thought as Kurloz brought the car into the garage. Karkat got out of the passenger seat and went to the trunk to get Tavros' wheelchair while Gamzee picked Tavros up and walked into the house. He placed Tavros down on the couch and began to inspect his injuries.

"So how does it look?" Karkat asked as he walked up behind Gamzee.

"Not good, his right wrist is bruising, his head stopped bleeding but there's a big motherfuckin' bump there." Gamzee lifted up Tavros hoodie over his head and lifted up Tavros' plain white T-shirt, what he saw was both surprising and heart breaking. Tavros was lean and muscular, purple bruises were forming on his stomach and on his ribs. What made Gamzee cringe were the scars on Tavros' torso all of them looked like they had been formed by, knives? The longest scar was going from his left pectoral down his side and it looked like it went past his hip. There were many smaller scars all going in separate directions. It was like they wanted to decorate him.

"What the actual fuck?! Terezi wasn't kidding when she said many." Karkat rasped out.

"I'm going to get some ice. Hey Kurloz, do you know where the fucking first aid kit is?" Gamzee pulled Tavros' shirt back down looking at his sleeping face. 'He's too beautiful to be going through all this shit.' Gamzee thought as he stared at his crush.

_Tavros was in pain, unbearable pain everything fucking hurt. 'Its dark and I can't tell which way is up and which way is left. What the fuck happened? There's something wet on my side, and it burns. Okay Tav, just make an assessment of your body. Fingers, ten, hands, 2, they hurt and I can't move them' Tavros thought. He looked up to where his hands were tied to a pole. 'Shit! Okay look down, aw what the hell did they do to me?' He took in the sight of his naked torso and saw that it was covered in cuts and blood. 'Okay don't panic. Check your legs.' Unbearable pain shot up his spine "Ahhh" The door busted open and in walked a tall man with Tavros' brown eyes and red and black hair._

_"Dad?" Tavros rasped out._

_"I'm going to get you out of here, and then I'm going to make sure this never happens again." His father kisses his forehead and unties him and picks him up, Tavros yelps in pain and his father takes him outside the compound and puts him into a car._

_"Take him to the hospital, and do NOT leave his side. It's high time that bitch pays." The Summoner said with a growl to his voice, shit was about to go down. He turned back to his son. "Tavros, I'm sorry and I love you." He kissed his forehead one more time, shuts the door and then he ran off gun in hand._

Karkat had just come back from the kitchen with a bag of ice when Tavros shot up from lying down on the couch only to hiss in pain clutching his ribs. "Whoa, bro just calm the motherfuck down." A startled Gamzee said to Tavros who was frantically looking around the living room trying to understand where he was before he turned to Gamzee with a questioning look.

"Okay, I know you told me not to up and worry about it, but I couldn't help myself man. They had motherfucking weapons and nobody was doing anything, then you started bleeding and so… I smacked those assholes around until they backed off." Gamzee said to Tavros who was soaking in all this information, then he looked at his surroundings slowly this time. He was in a big house and sitting in the living room, the couch he was on was facing a huge flat screen TV and everything was nicely furnished, he turned back to a grinning Gamzee. He needed his notepad he pointed where his hoodie was on the coffee table Gamzee was sitting on. "Oh yeah, here you go motherfucker." Gamzee said as he dug out Tavros' notepad and pen.

Tavros took the items and started writing with his left hand. 'Huh, so he's one of those.' Gamzee thought as he remembered that earlier Tavros wrote with his right hand. He took the pad from Tavros to see what he had to say. 'Thank you for helping me, you have a nice house, but I need to get home now. My phone is in my backpack. If they haven't shown up by now then they haven't tracked my phone yet.' Gamzee gave the pad back to Tavros, who was lying back down on the couch holding the bag of ice Karkat gave him on his ribs.

"Whose "they" motherfucker?" Tavros wrote on his pad again then handed it back to Gamzee. 'My family' Suddenly the doorbell rang and Kurloz went to answer the door. Tavros groaned again and wrote down 'yep they found me' Gamzee chuckled and waited to see who would come through the door. He wasn't sure what he was expecting but what he saw still shocked him. Walking into the living room was an African-American man with long dark hair that was put into a ponytail wearing a blue and black button down shirt with black pants. He came in and walked over to Tavros.

"So, was it the usual suspects?" The man asked looking down at Tavros, who only nodded. "Thank you for taking care of him. My name is Horuss Zahhak, I'm Tav's guardian I was very worried about him."

'Wait Zahhak, like Equius?' Gamzee thought to himself.

"So you're going to take him home now?" Karkat asked.

"Yes we have a doctor there and Tav's going to need his rest. Do you think you can handle school tomorrow?" He said looking at Tavros who shook his head writing something down on his notepad then handing it to Horuss. 'No, I hurt my wrist pretty bad and my ribs freaking hurt.' was his reply. Horuss sighed and grabbed Tavros' stuff.

"Okay, then say good-bye to your friends. Where's his wheelchair?" Horuss asked as he stood up, Kurloz waved him over and they went into the kitchen while Tavros wrote something down and he indicated that he wanted both Gamzee and Karkat to read it. 'Thank you guys for helping me, but now you've made yourselves targets. I don't want either of you getting hurt over helping someone you barely know so please watch your backs at school tomorrow I won't be there for a couple of days, but I want you to let me know if someone hassles you, okay? Do either of you have Pesterchum or Trollian?'

"Yeah we got both of those motherfucker." Gamzee answered. Tavros ripped out a sheet of paper and wrote on it. His username for both were adiosToredor and it also had his number and the instructions 'Text me the minute something happens.'

"Fine, but seriously we can handle it just get better soon okay?" Karkat said and Gamzee nodded, Tavros gave them a small smile. Horuss came over with the wheelchair and the boys watched as Tavros got into his wheelchair and let Horuss wheel him out of the house. "So I say tomorrow we beat some fucking ass." Karkat said as he walked back to the kitchen with Gamzee following a small smile on his face.

"Hell fucking yes!"

The ride home was slightly uncomfortable mostly because Tavros really wanted to lie down and take some painkillers. Every time the car hit a bump or made a turn he felt like throwing up. 'What the hell just happened?' He thought as he leaned his head against the car window remembering the events of the past hour and a half. He knew that the two boys probably weren't going to have a problem handling Vriska and her posse or whatever, but he still didn't like how this was his fault. 'Shit's going to go down and I'll be back on the damn radar.' He had to smirk at that thought 'Like I was ever off. I'm just on the wrong end.'

They came to a 2 story stucco styled mansion. Horuss parked in the garage and brought out Tavros' wheelchair and helped him into it. They went to the house and went through the kitchen into the living room. "You know we're going to have to talk about this. You can't keep letting them attack you like this, if you they do something that messes up the progress you've made with your physical therapy-" Tavros cut him off with a long exaggerated sigh. "Look I know you don't like us interfering, but you can't keep pushing us away. We know that you're strong, I mean look at who trained you, but you don't have to go through all of this alone. You know that, don't you?" Tavros nodded and looked down guiltily.

They made their way to the living room area. Tavros moved towards the plush black couch as quickly as his hurt wrist allowed and lifted himself out of his wheelchair and onto the couch. He sighed in relief as the pressure was relieved off his bruising torso as he lied down. Horuss let out a sigh "I'll get you some ice and meds, okay?" Tavros nodded his response and reached to grab the remote to the T.V. He turned on some cartoon that he tried to focus on, but his mind kept making him remember things he was trying desperately to forget.

It had been almost a month since the incident, but Tavros still felt like it happened just yesterday. He was still dating Vriska and she had led him to believe that they were supposed to have a date at this restaurant she had heard about.

_As he turned a corner he was jumped by three guys. He had known about his father's position in the criminal underworld since he was 10 years old and his father had insisted on making sure he learned how to protect himself. He knew various martial arts styles and had been taught how to shoot a gun. He hated it, but he had never been more grateful for the skills than in that very moment. As the man in the middle reached to punch Tavros in the face Tavros leaned his head to the left and caught the fist with both his hands and used his opponent's momentum against him and managed to flip him over so that he landed on the concrete, hard. Before his opponent had time to react Tavros kicked him in the jaw, thoroughly knocking him out. Tavros turned to the other men waiting to see which one would attack next. After a few seconds of stunned silence the goon on the left lunged forward grabbed Tavros' midsection, but Tavros just used the man's position to yank him by the hair and quickly pull his head into his knee. The man released his hold on Tavros. The man was thrown on his side and Tavros took the opportunity to bring down his heel to the man's ribs. The last man barely had time to react as Tavros threw an uppercut to the man's face causing him to stumble then Tavros punched him square in the stomach. As the last man fell, Tavros decided to make a run for it and ran back the way he came. As he ran down the street he heard shouting and tires screeching, but there was no way in hell he was going to turn and look. The next thing he heard was a gunshot and suddenly there was searing pain in his back and he fell to the ground._

Tavros was jolted from the memory by the feeling of something cold being placed on his ribs. He looked up to see Horuss standing behind the couch holding out a pill and a glass of water. "Take this so we can get you checked out. I'll call your school and let them know that you won't be in tomorrow." Tavros took the pill and downed the water. He handed the glass back to Horuss who left to go upstairs, possibly to see if his Aunt Porrim was home yet.

'Great, now I'm going to have to explain this to her.' Tavros thought to himself. He heard footsteps coming from the stairs he looked to see his 22 year old cousin Kanaya coming downstairs.

"Hello Tavros, Horuss said that you were attacked again. What happened?" Kanaya asked as she sat in a black recliner that was diagonal from the couch. She was wearing a black tank top and a red pencil skirt with black leggings. Tavros brought out his notepad, but Kanaya reached over and put her hand on his.

"Tavros it's just me. You know that you can speak to me, I know this has been hard for you, but I also know that talking about it helps." She said her green eyes looking into his brown ones. Tavros stared at his cousin a moment longer, he knew what she was trying to do, but he still couldn't make himself speak. He gently pushed her hand away noticing the slight disappointment on her face as he brought out his pen.

'When school let out I left through the front of the school, and Vriska was there. She managed to shove me out of my chair, which is how I hurt my wrist, then she kicked me in the ribs, then my stomach, and I think she hit me in the head with a bat. I blacked out after that. When I woke up I was at the house of two of my classmates. They were new and apparently didn't give a shit about me being the school pariah. So yeah now I'm worried about what might happen to them tomorrow.' He waited for Kanaya to read it over and give her opinion.

"Well all I can think to say is that your classmates might know what they're doing. Equius told me that had you not forbade him from helping you, he and a lot of your other friends would've gladly taken matters into their own hands. Speaking of Equius, where is he?" Tavros shrugged and wrote in his notepad.

'The gym, maybe? He probably heard about what happened and got pissed.'

"Hmm, you might be right." Kanaya mused.

The front door opened and in walked Aunt Porrim a beautiful woman with long dark hair and green eyes just like her daughter Kanaya. "Hello dears, Tavros, Horuss called and told me that there was an incident at school, I want to see all the damage that has been done when I come back." She said as she walked through the doors with one of the maids behind her carrying grocery bags and taking them into the kitchen as Porrim made her way up the stairs her heels marking her journey through the house. Tavros sighed and started removing his shirt. Kanaya took it from him and folded it up, as she looked at Tavros' side and stomach. She cringed a little at the sight of his bruises.

"You do realize that when she sees this she's going to flip her shit, right?" Tavros just nodded his head in defeat. He knew his Aunt hated seeing him getting hurt repeatedly, but he was pretty defenseless when he was in his chair. Despite the constant bullying his attackers never tried to go for his legs, which was a good thing because he still had another two months of physical therapy before he could walk again. Right now he was only trusted with swimming so his muscles could get the exercise.

'I'm so sick of this shit.' Tavros thought to himself. Aunt Porrim came down the stairs carrying her medical supplies. She looked down at Tavros with a small look of anger.

"Those barbaric ruffians! What gives some one the right to even lay a hand on a person in a wheelchair?! Especially after everything he's been through already!" She screamed.

"Actually mother, Tavros informed me that it was more kicking and the use of a blunt object." Kanaya said to her mother as Tavros shot her a 'shut-up-you're-making-it-worse look' Kanaya shot him a 'She-needs-to-know' look back at him. Tavros let a soft frustrated groan. Porrim started examine the side of Tavros' head where a bump was forming and still had some blood around the edges. She cleaned up around it with a cotton ball with alcohol on it. Tavros winced at the sting but stayed still or the most part. She finally makes it to his ribs and she tells them that they're slightly cracked. He sits up for her to bandage him up, just as she finishes Equius came in from the kitchen and stops in his tracks when he sees Tavros bandaged up.

"Equius where have you been, you were almost late for dinner." Porrim says to Equius.

"Well, I was at the school still, working on some sculptures… and then I had to pick up some things. Specifically parts of my sculpture after I broke a couple." He says tired.

"Did you see what happened to Tavros?" Kanaya asks.

"I was still in the school building when it happened. I had to hear about it from some friends." He turned to Tavros "Is it true that the new kids just took you?" He asked sounding a little hurt.

Tavros and Equius are god-brothers and have been inseparable since they were toddlers, it was Equius' responsibility to take Tavros to and from school until he could drive again, and the fact that he hadn't been there for his brother was upsetting him. Tavros nodded and Kanaya handed him the paper that had Tavros' side of the story on it. He read it over all while wiping sweat off his brow.

"I see, well as long as you're okay.” he said looking up at Tavros who nodded and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Dinner is almost ready and by that I mean it's on its way. I hope you're in the mood for Chinese." Horuss said as he came down the stairs. Everyone looked up and smiled.

'It's good to be home.' Tavros thought as he looked around his family, ignoring the pain in his chest from knowing full well that one face was missing.


	5. Time to Smack a Bitch

Karkat and Gamzee walked into their English class and where met by John and Aradia. "Is Tavros going to be okay? Are you going to be okay? The whole school knows about what happened yesterday. Vriska is going to be on the war path, oh my God, you guys need to watch your backs." John said frantically. Aradia put her hand on his shoulder to make him calm down.

"John take deep breaths, you look like you're about to have a panic attack." She looked towards the boys. "So what will you do?"

"Well if the bitch really is after us then I guess we'll have no choice but to defend ourselves." Karkat said nonchalantly.  
Aradia gave him a sly grin and said "Would you want back-up in case you become outnumbered?" John immediately started shaking his head in agreement. 

"Yeah, I can guarantee that there are a few people who would love to take Vriska down a few pegs."  
The brothers looked at each other then back to their friends. 

"I don't up and motherfuckin' see why not. But, why do you want to help all of a motherfuckin' sudden?" Gamzee asked. John looked down guiltily 

"Well, in all honesty, we've wanted to get back at Vriska since she started attacking Tavros and even before that. They didn't exactly have a healthy relationship, but after the incident she started treating him like crap. He went through a lot when he was being held hostage. He probably didn't explain this to you, but while he was there they drugged him. He had to go to rehab for a little bit and-"

"Mr. Makara is there a reason in particular that you are not in your seat?" Mr. Scratch asked looking at Gamzee with slight annoyance.

"Sorry teach, John here was telling me a story and I up and forgot where I was." Gamzee said ignoring the stares he was getting and giving the teacher a lopsided grin, looking like the king of calm.

"Would you please take your seat?" Gamzee just shrugged and moved over to his seat, and zoned out as soon as Mr. Scratch started speaking.

'Drugged, carved up, but what happened to his legs? I'm gonna need more motherfucking information.'

~Time Skip: Lunch~

"So Egbert, wanna continue your motherfucking story?" Gamzee asked as he sat down with John and Karkat at the table. Terezi, Nepeta, Equius and Sollux were already there.

"What story?" Equius asked.

"Um, about Tavros' time with The Scorpions, I kinda told them about how he was drugged-"

"You did what?" Equius asked rising and slamming his hands down on the table making a small dent. "You know why we don't talk about that Egbert, just because he isn't here does not mean you can tell them without his permission." He said angrily.

"Then just text him and ask if it's okay for them to know EQ. They have a right to know more about the person they helped. They were going to learn about it anyway, so let's get it over with." Sollux said not even looking up from his laptop.

"Fine!" Equius said as he pulled out his cell phone and Nepeta started to wipe sweat from his face as he sent Tavros a message and got a reply.

"He said it was fine, but why was it brought up in the first place?"

"Well it started as a conversation on how these two were going to handle Vriska since she is now out for their blood. Aradia said that we'd have their backs and then Gamzee asked us why we care and, yeah." John said sheepishly.

Aradia came and sat down. "Would any of you also like to have a hand in making sure these two don't get severely beaten?"

"Yeah I'll help." Sollux said looking up from his laptop.

"Count me in. Vriska's reign of unlawful tyranny has gone on too long and it's high time she get a taste of justice." Terezi said letting out a cackle and flashing a creepy mischievous grin.

"I've wanted to claw her eyes out the moment she broke poor Tafurros' heart." Nepeta said showing off her sharp nails.

"Good to fucking know, now will someone please explain what exactly happened to Tavros while he was being held hostage by people who I assume are either rotting in Hell or a prison." Karkat snapped wanting to hurry this conversation before lunch ended.

"So, he was drugged for the whole time he was there. They made a video and sent it to his father showing Tavros tied to a chair, getting injected with heroin, and told him to give them an obscene amount of money that even Oprah didn't have, it was basically a declaration of war. Tavros was off limits to any of his father's partners and enemies. A clear violation of this was met with The Summoner's wrath. After Tavros was released from the hospital he had to get admitted to rehab. Between withdrawals, his father's trial, the custody case, his nightmares and getting used to using a wheelchair, Tavros was unraveling. Things got better as he detoxed and went through physical therapy, but when he was finally out he just stopped talking." Equius explained his face turning solemn.

"So what happened to his motherfucking legs?" Gamzee asked.

"I guess you didn't see the scar. He was shot in the back while he was trying to run away from the guys who kidnapped him. The bullet was 2 centimeters from his spine." He said the last sentence laced with venom.

"Another thing, how the fuck are you related to Tavros?" Karkat asked.

"I'm not, my dad, the man who got him from your house is his Godfather and was given custody."  
"He looks way too young to be your dad." Karkat stated.

"Black don't crack." John stated with a small snicker.

"Genetics has been very kind to him." Equius said with a shrug.

"Well now that all that's cleared up, I'm gonna go get some shit out my motherfuckin locker. See ya'll later." Gamzee said, getting up from his seat and heading out the cafeteria.

"I better go with him, who knows where Vriska could be lurking." Karkat said leaving his seat.

"Or if someone did something to his locker, it's happened before." John informed him.

"Good looking out Egbert." Karkat said as he left.

Karkat went to where his and Gamzee's lockers were and found Gamzee staring at something that was in his locker. Upon further inspection he saw that he was staring at a piece of paper with a drawing of a black widow spider and underneath was a time, 3:30 pm.

"Now we have a time, but what's the motherfucking location?" Gamzee said as Karkat opened his locker.

"The soccer field." Karkat replied as he pulled out a sheet of paper that had the same drawing on it.

"We should probably let the others know." Gamzee said noticing that a few kids were staring at them.

"WHY DON'T YOU TAKE A FUCKING PICTURE AND PUT IT ON YOUR PATHETIC EXCUSES FOR BLOGS THAT ONLY HAS 2 VEIWS A YEAR YOU FUTURE HAMBUGER FLIPPERS, IT WILL LAST LONGER!" Karkat shouted causing them to scurry out of the hallway.

~Time Skip: 3:00pm~

"Okay, does everyone know the plan?" Karkat asks the group of friends who are gathered around in a hallway that led outside.

"We hide inside the school and until Vriska forces her lackeys to make the first move. Terezi, Nepeta and I fight Vriska and incapacitate her. Sollux and John bring out the cars. We load up and bring her to Tavros, and make her apologize for treating him like shit and making his life Hell." Aradia says with a small smile on her face.

"You motherfucking got it. Alright, ya'll better up and get out of here." Gamzee said to John and Sollux who left while he and Karkat walked towards the soccer field.

"You took your pill today, right?" Karkat asked looking at Gamzee's painted face.

"Don't worry I took it this morning I motherfucking swear. I won't kill anybody." Gamzee said sounding serious despite the grin on his face.

They walked into the middle of the field and surveyed the area around. Karkat checked his watch.  
"Well you'd think she be on time for a meeting she arranged her fucking self." Karkat said grumpily.

"Aw, how cute you actually showed up. This is going to be easier than I thought." said a voice coming from behind them. They turned around to see Vriska and three other guys standing behind them. Gamzee let out a low growl while Karkat just sneered.

"When a psychopathic bitch invites you to a meeting dedicated to making her back the fuck off, and making sure she gets payback for relentlessly attacking someone who's in a fucking wheelchair you show up. Perhaps we should have brought snacks to this meeting, or a line graph that charts the amount of bitchiness you acquired over your pathetic life?" Karkat retorted, reddish brown eyes never leaving icy blue.

"All this talk is boring, I want to watch your faces get punched." She snapped her fingers and all three guys ran toward Gamzee and Karkat.

All Hell broke loose. The biggest of the group was tackled to the ground by a flash of blue, Equius. Karkat gave a roundhouse kick to a brunette's side, then pounced on him knocking him to the ground and began punching him in the face until the kid passed out. Gamzee got his attacker into a chokehold and he waited until the boy passed out before letting him fall to the ground. By then Nepeta, Aradia, and Terezi were fighting Vriska. They got her on the ground and started tying her and blindfolding and gagging her, all according to plan. Equius was having trouble with his guy who had managed to get off the ground and was trying to punch Equius in the face, but he kept dodging. 

"Yo Eq, duck!" Gamzee shouted. Equius ducked to the ground right as Karkat ran up and used his back as a vault and punched the last of Vriska's crew in the face. The boy held his nose and Equius swept his leg out from under him, Gamzee then kicked the boy in the jaw, knocking him out.

"Guys we got her, let's go, it takes forever to get to Tav's house." Terezi called holding up a struggling Vriska.

"Can someone make her calm the fuck down?" Karkat said eyeing the girl who was trying to get out of Terezi's grasp. Nepeta walked up to Vriska and punched her in the face, causing her to slump. Terezi let Vriska fall to ground with a thud.

"Oops!" she said with an evil grin.

Cars were honking from the street. The group turned to see Sollux and John waving at them.  
"Alright time for phase 2 of the plan. Equius please carry Ms. Serket's bitch ass to a car." Karkat said as Equius lifted Vriska up and swung her over his shoulder.

"I'll take her in my car." Equius said as he walked to a dark blue SUV.

"This is going to be great! You don't think Tav will be mad do you?" John asked now growing concerned.

"We'll just have to see when we get there motherfucker." Gamzee answered shrugging.

~30 minutes later~

After a long drive and a few phone calls to parents about their whereabouts, the teens ended up at Tavros and Equius' house.

"This is where you guys motherfucking live?" Gamzee asked looking at the mansion with awe.

"Yes." Equius replied dragging a now conscious Vriska out of the car she was still tied up but the blindfold was removed. She looked around with wide eyes recognizing where she was. Equius walked up to the front door and it opened immediately revealing a mustachioed man in a suit.

"Hello Arthur, do you know if Tavros is awake?" Equius said to the middle aged butler.

"Yes he's in his room." He said eyeing Vriska with a look of disgust in his eyes; yes he knew who she was.

"Thank you." Equius said as he started climbing the stairs.

"Eq won't your dad be concerned that we have the bane of Tavros' existence here in the house?" John asked as they walked upstairs to Tavros' room.

"Maybe." Equius said with a shrug. He knocked on the door and waited until Horuss opened the door.

"Please tell me there is a good reason for this." He said pointing to Vriska who was being held by his son.

"Yes, there is I promise." Equius said looking his father in the eye… probably it's hard to tell with the sunglasses. Horuss opened the door wider and everyone walked into Tavros' room.

'Damn this place is huge.' Gamzee thought as he looked around the room.

Tavros was sitting on his king sized bed which was against the back wall. In front of the bed sat a few bean bag chairs that could sit two people. On the front wall was an entertainment system with a flat screen T.V. with various gaming systems hooked up to it. The T.V. was currently paused on the movie Hook. On the right wall sat a guitar between the door to the bathroom and the door to the closet. On the left side of the bed was a dresser, in front of which was Tavros' wheelchair, and on the right a desk. The rooms color scheme was light brown, green and black. Gamzee brought his attention back to Tavros who was staring with wide brown eyes at everyone in his room. He was wearing a black muscle shirt and brown cargo pants sitting cross legged in the center of his bed.

"Hey Tavbro, spider-bitch here has some shit she needs to tell you." Gamzee said as Aradia untied the gag that was around Vriska's mouth. Vriska and Tavros stared at each other, until Vriska finally spoke.

"Tavros I… I'm sorry for everything. For being the worst girlfriend ever, for treating you like crap after the incident and for never visiting you while you were in the hospital or rehab, and I'm sorry I broke up with you by text." In the middle of her speech she had started crying and she was choking back sobs trying to speak. "Please forgive me, and I swear you'll never have to see me again."

Tavros stared at her for while watching her sob, his face was expressionless. Everyone looked around the room not sure what to do. The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence save for Vriska's sobs.

"Was the date we were supposed to have that day real?" Everyone looked towards Tavros who was still staring at Vriska who stared up at him in astonishment. Did he just?

"Well? Was it real or not?" Tavros asked with an edge to his voice. Vriska looked down guiltily then shook her head.

"No."

"Get her out of here." Tavros said with venom in his voice. Everyone winced.

"Tav please let me explain, I was a member of The Scorpions, and when the leader heard that I was dating you I had no idea who you were-"

"That was the point! I didn't want people to know that my father was The Summoner, main supplier of drugs to clubs and cracked out celebrities in all of Los Angeles!"

"I know and I'm sorry but they made me lie to you about that date. I didn't know they were going to hurt you, and I couldn't disobey orders." Vriska explained trying to stop herself from crying.

"Yeah I know." Tavros said with a sympathetic look. "I met your mom when she tied me to a chair and filmed me getting high off my ass against my will." Tavros spat out at her, he could feel tears forming but he pushed them back. Everyone in the room was silent.

"I'm so sorry, if had known about what she was planning, I would've…I'm so sorry." Vriska said sobbing again.

"I forgive you for being a crappy girlfriend. I forgive you for treating me like shit at school. I even forgive you for yesterday." He said not noticing a few tears going down his face. "I don't forgive you for setting me up, and I never will. The shit I went through in that house was the worst two days of my life. I still have fucking nightmares, I remember the things they did to me while I was high. I can't look in the fucking mirror without having a damn flashback about being carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey!" he exclaimed shaking and wiping the tears away. "Good-bye Vriska, I never want to see you again."

Everyone was in stunned silence. No one's heard Tavros' voice for almost two months, and no one has ever heard him sound that angry, Vriska's confession was unexpected and this was just really confusing.

The door to Tavros' room closed with a soft thud, and everyone turned to see that a tall, red headed woman wearing a teal pencil skirt, a red blouse and red pumps was leaning against the wall. In her left hand was a recorder.

"Vriska Serket you are under arrest for being an accessory to the kidnapping of Tavros Nitram." She said as she walked up to Vriska bringing out handcuffs. "You have the right to remain silent. What you say can and will be used against you in the court of law-"

"Aunt Latula?!" Terezi asked surprised.

"We'll discuss this later." She turned to look at her niece then turned back to Vriska. "You have the right to an attorney." Latula continued as she took Vriska out of Equius' hands and walked her out of the room as she continued reading Vriska her rights. Everyone turned to face Tavros, still surprised to have heard his voice and now very confused as to why a cop was in his house. Horuss got up from his seat.

"I have some things to take care of. It's nice to see you all again." He said as he left closing the door behind him.

"Can someone explain what the hell just happened? I mean seriously, what the actual fuck?" Sollux said plopping down on a bean bag.

Tavros looked at everyone a sheepish smile on his face as he scratched his arm.  
"Okay guys well, um, just sit down somewhere and I'll explain." Gamzee, Karkat and Aradia sat on the bed with Tavros and Equius. John, Terezi, and Nepeta joined Sollux in the bean bag pile. Once settled everyone turned to Tavros expectantly.

"Okay, so Latula was here mostly just as a family friend. She was on her way out when you guys showed up. I guess she decided to stick around just in case, something happened. And something did so, yeah." Tavros said wiping away some stray tears. Gamzee stared up at him from where he was laying down.

"So all of what just up and motherfucking happened was basically a motherfucking coincidence?" Tavros nodded at Gamzee a small smile on his face. Gamzee felt his stomach twist a little, but in a good way.

"Yeah, I guess it was." Tavros said as he ran a hand through his thick strip of hair.

"Heh, miracles." Gamzee said smiling at Tavros.

"Well I guess we should be heading out, Gran is going to freak if I don't get home soon." Aradia said as she got up from the bed. "Oh before I forget Tavros I have some homework assignments for you." She said getting her backpack off the floor. She handed him some papers.

"Thanks, and not just for the homework. For always being there even when I pushed you all away." He said looking at his friends.

"Thank you guys for helping me yesterday, and for today. It feels good to speak again, even if the circumstances kind of, sucked." He said looking at Gamzee and Karkat.

"No problem motherfucker, we know what it's like to need a few friends when you're going through a tough time." Gamzee said still smiling at Tavros, who was blushing a little bit.

'Motherfuckin' adorable.' Gamzee thought.

"Thanks Tav, but seriously we should get going, we got school tomorrow. Will you be coming in tomorrow?" John asked.

"Yeah my wrist is doing better so I'll be there tomorrow." Tavros answered. Nepeta pounced on him and gave him a hug.

"I missed the sound of fur voice so much." She said as he hugged her back.

"Eq, mind giving me a lift? I wanna see these guys out." Tavros said to Equius.

"No problem." Equius said as he stood up and turned around and crouched down to the floor. Tavros moved to the edge of the bed and hopped on Equius' back. Equius then began to carry him piggy back out the room.

As they went down the stairs Gamzee walked behind Tavros and Equius and noticed Tavros' shirt had ridden up and there was a circular scar near the center of his lower back. He also noticed that Tavros had some scars on his shoulder blades.

"So, Tavbro now that spider-bitch is up and out of your motherfucking life for probably ever, what are you up and going do now?" Gamzee asked as he came next to the duo.

"Throw a party." Tavros answered with a smirk.

"How about it guys? Are you free to hang out this weekend?" Tavros said addressing the group.

Tav was answered by a chorus of "yeahs" and "this will be funs."

"Alright I'll take that as a yes." Tavros replied looking back at Gamzee with a smile.

"Well count me in Tavbro. I'll see you tomorrow." Gamzee said as he walked out the door.

"Bye." Tavros said as he watched Gamzee and Karkat get into Aradia's car.

Equius turned and went to the dining room where the cook Jane was putting food on the table. "Can I just say that what that was back there was a pathetic excuse for a romantic advancement?" Equius said as he placed Tavros in a chair.

"What do you mean?" Tavros asked confused.

"Oh, so what happened back there with the clown boy who speaks in a very lewd manner, that was not terrible flirting?" Equius asked raising an eyebrow. Tavros' cheeks turned red and he started to fluster.

"Estas loco?! No I wasn't flirting! All I did was invite him and like six other people over for a party! You've been with Nepeta for too long. Why would you think I was flirting?" Tavros exclaimed blush now rushing all over his face. Equius still didn't understand how that was possible.

"I felt your heartbeat change when you talked to him." Equius stated simply. Tavros just stared at him incredulously.

"You can be so creepy sometimes, you know that?" Equius just shrugged. "Whatever you say." he said with a small smirk.

"Shut up and eat your food." Tavros said in a small smile.


	6. Last Friday Night

The rest of the week was filled with everyone cheering and clapping when Karkat, Gamzee and Tavros entered their first period. Apparently Vriska was hated by a majority of the student body. (And even some teachers) Even more people were surprised when they heard Tavros talk for the first time in a month. When news of that spread people kept asking him if that meant he would start singing again. His usual response being that he'd think about it. Finally Friday came around and the eight friends were headed to Equius and Tav's house for the… if teenage boys are involved is it called a sleepover? That sounds like too much of a girl's thing. Overnight party? That just sounds lame! Whatever! The point is people will be spending the night, movies will be watched and junk food will be eaten. This is going to be the best weekend ever!

Fist on the agenda was to order pizza. Second eat said pizza while sitting in the giant movie room. Seriously this room was awesome. There were 3 raised rows with 2 plush dark red, couches that reclined and had cup holders. A movie screen stretched across the whole wall, and there was a small projector room behind the seats just like a real movie theater. There was a counter with a popcorn maker and fully stocked mini-fridge. 

The first movie of the night was a paranormal horror movie. Tavros and Gamzee sat on the top row with Karkat and John sitting on the next couch. Both were wrapped in a blanket and jumping at the scary parts. Nepeta and Terezi were sitting in the second row, Nepeta quietly explaining some of what was happening in the movie to Terezi. Sollux was sitting on the couch behind Equius and Aradia who were in the front row, all them making fun of the film.

Gamzee noticed that every once in a while Tavros looked like he was zoned out, not an uncommon occurrence, but it still made Gamzee concerned. What if he was having a flashback or the rare, but according to Equius still possible, cravings he sometimes got. As Gamzee pondered this he didn't notice that Tavros was now staring at him with a distant look in his eyes and he was shivering. Oh shit, it was a craving. Gamzee got up slowly and quietly eyes never leaving Tavros and he moved towards the fridge to get Tavros some soda. The best way to get Tav to come out of his stupor was with something sugary. Gamzee placed the drink in Tavros' hands and put a blanket on his shoulders. Tavros opened the bottle and chugged the whole thing. The distant look in his eyes disappeared but he was still shivering. Gamzee scooted closer to him and pulled him into a hug trying to make him warmer. Tavros leaned into the embrace, and Gamzee lifted Tavros' legs up so he was sitting in the clown's lap.

"Thank you." Tavros whispered in Gamzee's ear.

"No problem Tavbro." Gamzee replied smiling down at him.

They stayed like that for the rest of the movie. By time it ended everyone was tired. So they all retreated to the rooms they had claimed. Terezi, Nepeta and Aradia shared a guest room that was across from where Sollux, Karkat, John and Gamzee were sleeping.

The guest rooms were pretty big with one king sized bed and their own bathroom. After showering Gamzee went to check on Tavros and make sure he was feeling better. He was a little nervous, as the week went on and he got to talk to Tavros some more he found his crush growing and growing. The fact that he was able to keep his hormones under control in the movie room was a miracle. He took a deep breath as he walked up to Tavros' room and knocked.

"Come in" he heard from the other side and went into the room. The room was dark save for the light coming from a lamp on the dresser. Tavros was sitting on his bed strumming a guitar. He looked up at Gamzee and smiled.

"Hey Gamz, what's up?" Tavros asked as he set his guitar down on the beanbags.

"I just wanted to up and check on you. Make sure you were feeling better after what happened earlier." Gamzee replied as he came to sit next to Tavros. Tavros blushed a little at the memory.

"Oh, uh, yeah I'm better. Thanks again, for that." Tavros replied looking Gamzee in the face. "Heh, this is the first time I've seen you without the face paint."

Gamzee touched the three scars that went diagonally across his face suddenly self-conscious. "Oh yeah, it motherfucking is." He replied with a small chuckle. Tavros reached up and touched his right cheek stroking the scars with his thumb. Gamzee leaned into the touch.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened?" Tavros asked still holding Gamzee's face.

"When I was fourteen I got into a fight with this girl at school. It was mostly just us yelling, but then I said something to her. I think I called her a cow or some shit like that, but she got really mad and she slashed my face with her really sharp nails. I was already wearing the face paint before that, but I stopped after the doctor said to not wear it until the cuts were completely healed." He paused looking like he wanted to say more.

"What is it?" Tavros asked looking at Gamzee's conflicted expression.

"I've got serious anger problems, to the point where I get violent and after the girl scratched up my face I lost my temper completely. She ended up staying in the hospital for a few months. We move out of town after that, for my dad's job. After that I was given medicine to help me get my chill on. Now you know about the monstrous side of Gamzee Makara." Gamzee concluded.

"You're not a monster just misunderstood." Tavros answered a small smile on his face. The two stared at each other until they started laughing.

"Bro, you just had to use that motherfucking line?" Gamzee said between wheezing.

"Yep, you walked right into that one. I'm not sorry." Tavros answered holding his stomach as he lied back on the bed.

Gamzee stared at his giggling friend and decided that he really liked Tavros' laugh.

'I wonder if…' Gamzee thought as he slowly reached out a finger towards Tavros who was calming down from his giggle fit, and poked the mohawked boy in his side. This caused Tavros let out a surprised giggle and he turned his gaze towards Gamzee his eyes darting from Gamzee's face to his finger.

Oh. Hell. No.

If it's a tickle fight the clown wants it's a tickle fight the clown will get. Tavros faced Gamzee with a mischievous smile on his face. Without further warning he grabbed Gamzee making him lie down on the bed, and started tickling his sides causing Gamzee to let out a girly squeal of surprise. Tavros decided that was the cutest thing he had ever heard. However he let out a girly squeal of his own when Gamzee retaliated and he got on top of him straddling his hips and tickling him harder.

"Okay you win! Uncle!" Tavros said once he felt like he was going to die laughing.

Gamzee lifted his hands up in victory. "I am the champion of tickle fights!" He mock yelled as Tavros suppressed a giggle. Man the unpainted clown was cute, and from what he could see from the muscle shirt, pretty muscular.

Gamzee noticed Tavros was staring, and he leaned back down to Tavros so that their noses were inches apart.

"Like what you see?" He asked as he wriggled his eyebrows. Tavros' blush returned, but he never broke eye contact.

"Maybe." He replied as they brought their faces closer and their lips met. It felt like the perfect fit. They broke apart and looked into each other's eyes.

"So do you like, up and want to be my boyfriend?" Gamzee asked quietly.  
"Yeah, I do." Tavros answered blushing slightly.

They brought their lips back together. Gamzee deepened the kiss by brushing his tongue across Tavros' bottom lip, he complied and opened his mouth letting Gamzee explore. The two finally broke apart for air and Gamzee moved over to lie next to Tavros.

"Hey, um, will you stay with me in case I…" Tavros asked shyly, he was scared to admit that he might have a nightmare.

"Yeah, I'll stay with you." Gamzee replied smiling. "After all, what kind of boyfriend would I be to leave a cute brother like you all by his lonesome?"

Tavros smiled up him, and scooted closer so that his head was on his new boyfriend's chest.

"The worst." He replied teasingly. He felt Gamzee let out a soft chuckle as he turned off the light.

"Goodnight Gamz."

Gamzee wrapped his arms around Tavros.

"Goodnight Tavbro."

For once Tavros didn't have a nightmare.


	7. misssed Oppurtunity

The next morning the teens had gathered around the living room to eat breakfast. Everyone was trying to get a good idea of what to do since it was a nice day.

"Hey you guys are new to L.A., right?" Sollux asked Karkat and Gamzee. Both boys nodded. "We should take you guys into town so you can see the sights." Sollux suggested.

After chatting about it for a few more minutes the teens decided that they would start with Hollywood. With a quick message to Porrim and Horuss the kids got into their cars and started their adventure.  
The teens decided to visit Madame Tussauds Hollywood. They quickly realized that seeing wax figures with Gamzee and Karkat was hilarious. Gamzee kept standing next to the statues that had the most serious expressions and putting his finger to their wax noses. He was thoroughly surprised to see that they actually had nasal cavities and Karkat had to take his hand away before an employee saw. After a few hours of rather inappropriate posing and trying to evade getting kicked out for said inappropriate shenanigans the teens decided to head back to the house.

On their way back to the cars they were approached by a blonde boy wearing a red and white t-shirt that had a scratched record on it, black skinny jeans, and dark aviators carrying a guitar. This was Dave Strider the coolest kid in school, guys wanted to be him and girls wanted to date him. He was also one of the people that were at the top of Tavros' avoid-at-all-costs list. There was a time when he and Dave were good friends, but after the incident Dave was one of the first to turn on him.

"Hey Dave, how's it going?" John asked as he went to give Dave a bro-hug.

"Sup Egbert? Haven't seen you in a while, I've just been sitting around making sick beats in the room, coming out here for gigs and making a name for myself out here in the city of dreams." Dave said. He turned his head to look at Tavros who was finding more interest in the concrete, Gamzee noticing he was uncomfortable placed a hand to his shoulder eyes not leaving Dave.

"So, Nitram I heard you were talking again, is that true?" Dave said still looking at Tavros. Even though he couldn't see his eyes he was sure Dave was staring daggers at him. Tavros looked up at Dave giving a shrug.

"Yeah, it's up and motherfucking true. Why do you care motherfucker?" Gamzee replied as Tav went back to staring at the concrete.

Dave raised an eyebrow and looked at the clown who still had his hand on Tavros' shoulder.

"Didn't say I did, but I want to know if I'll actually have competition in this year's Spring Showcase." Dave answered as he and Gamzee had a stare down.

Aradia spoke up. "The showcase isn't a competition, if anything it's a big talent show."

"Yeah, but talent scouts always show up. Of course Tavros knows all about that, right Tav?" Tavros looked up and gave Dave the scariest death glare in the history of paradox space. Everyone flinched, even Dave's stoic expression faltered for a second.

"Dave, shut the fuck up." Tavros said with venom in his voice. He did not want to be reminded about that, and this asshole knew it.

"So, your voice is back, well now that that's been confirmed. I guess I'll just have to keep perfecting my craft and see what happens. Later." With a wave Dave walked around the group on his way to… who the hell cares?

Gamzee looked down at Tavros who was clutching forehead, his face flush. He was trying to control his breathing.

"Whoa, are you okay?" he asked as Tavros took deep breaths.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just get back to the house." Tavros answered as he wheeled to where Equius' SUV was. The ride back to the house was quiet and uncomfortable. When they got back to the house Gamzee immediately carried Tavros up the stairs bridal style, much to Tavros' surprise. Once inside Tavros' room Gamzee plopped him down on his bed.

"Gamzee, what the hell?" Tavros asked as he watched his boyfriend close his door. Gamzee turned from the door and walked over to sit next to Tavros.

"What was that back there? You looked like you wanted to rip that motherfuckers face off." Gamzee said looking into Tavros' eyes. Tavros looked like he was thinking about what to say. With a deep breath he settled more on his bed.

"Last semester before the incident, the school put on the annual Fall Showcase. Every year the theater, music, and dance students perform pieces that have to do with whatever the theme was that year. Dave and I were the only individual singers. At the end of the show I was approached by talent scouts not Dave. They offered me a chance to record a song they were planning to use for a big budget movie, and I accepted. The meeting was scheduled for winter break, but then…" Tavros trailed off before he brought his knees to his chest and bent his head trying to prevent himself from breaking down.

Gamzee scooted closer to Tavros and scooped him up and sat him in his lap wrapping his arms around Tavros' waist. Tavros was keeping his head down and Gamzee kissed him on his cheek. Tavros put his arms around Gamzee's neck and kissed him full on the lips, sweet and slow. Once they broke apart Tavros nuzzled his head into the crook of Gamzee neck. Gamzee rubbed comforting circles in his boyfriend's back.

"You know, this motherfucker would love to hear you sing sometime." Gamzee whispered into Tavros' ear causing him to shudder.

"I'll think about, I promise. I just need more time. Besides I would love to see you act." Gamzee smiled a little wider at Tav's words.

"So you've heard? I'm not surprised. Those motherfuckers in my theater class almost flipped their shit when I did a scene from Macbeth." He smirked at the memory of his classmates making fun of him. How impressive could one clown wearing freak be? Jaws dropped when he recited his lines word for word not even looking at the script.

"Alright Tavbro, I'll make you a deal you sing for the Spring Showcase, and I act for the Spring Showcase. After that we abscond the fuck out of the school, and go on a date." Gamzee said wriggling his eyebrows.

"Fine it's a deal." Tavros held out his hand for Gamzee to shake, but the clown had better ideas. He grabbed Tavros' hand and pulled him in to a long passionate kiss. When he pulled away Tavros looked at him with a dazed expression. "Wha-"

"We sealed this deal with a motherfucking kiss."

Tavros blushed slightly. "Okay, come on. There are still people here and this is how rumors started." He said teasingly, and Gamzee got off the bed and turned around to let Tavros hop on his back.

"Giddy-up noble steed." Tavros said and Gamzee dashed through the door.


	8. Say what you feel

Tavros waited for Gamzee and Karkat at the lockers in the front of the school. Gamzee’s father had started working more and Kurloz found a job as a bartender at a very classy nightclub, so Gamzee was given a car as a late birthday present. Since then he’d been taking Tavros out on dates and letting him sleepover, and having small parties with the rest of their group, since basically they had no adult supervision half the time. Well there was Karkat, but eventually he joined in on the small parties.

As Tavros waited for the boys to show up he doodled on the little notepad he no longer used to communicate. He started a sketch of the glass doors looking up every now and then to capture the scenery in the background. Karkat and Gamzee were taking a long time to show up, and Tavros was starting to worry. Gamzee’s pills had to be transferred from his previous home and he had been without the meds for two days. 

All in all, Gamzee’s moods were harder to control and he had prevented himself from going to school for more than half a day. Today he came to his afternoon classes. His meds had to be picked up on the way to the house, and Karkat had suggested driving in order to prevent Gamzee’s road rage. Although with the way Karkat’s own anger problems flared up as he drove Tavros never felt safe.

Tavros rubbed his back, his body wasn’t used to being still, and as he got closer to where he could go from wheelchair to crutches he was getting sick of sitting all the time. As he went back to sketching he looked up to see that a red T-shirt with a broken record emblazoned on it was in his face. He immediately frowned and looked further up to see Dave staring at him. 

‘What does this asshole want?’ Tavros thought as he and Dave had a staring contest. The tension in the air was thick and Tavros was uncomfortable. He could feel the effects of the stress getting to him and he felt his body start to shake. 

‘Fuck no, not now. I have to get him out of my face.’ Tavros put his arms around himself trying to look as calm as possible despite his shaking arms. Then he finally spoke.

“I-Is there s-something I can help you with?” Tavros inwardly cursed himself and his damn stutter; he thought he had finally gotten over it in the seventh grade.

Dave leaned against the wall still looking at Tavros. “No, not really just wanted to know if you decided to sign up for the Spring Showcase or not.” 

“Yeah I’m going to sign up and sing a duet with Nepeta.” Tavros answered.

“What the songbird of Hussie High afraid to go solo again?” Dave asked, even though he was mocking Tavros his tone stayed monotone. Tavros furrowed his eyebrows in irritation.

“No actually, she asked and I said yes, since I liked her song choice. Oh yeah, and she’s my friend.”  
“Why don’t you do something with your boyfriend, since the theme this year is love? Or are you taking this as a chance to serenade him and show how much you want his babies?”

“Gamzee acts, I sing.” Tavros replied with a shrug, ignoring that last part.

“Huh, didn’t think he had the brain capacity to hold down a line, or a whole monologue.”

Tavros shot Dave a death glare replying “Gamzee’s pretty smart actually, and don’t bad mouth my boyfriend!”

Dave smirked at finding out he hit a button, but it disappeared quickly. “By the way, how’s your dad doing, hoping he hasn’t become someone’s prison bitch?”

Tavros’ expression hardened at the mention of his dad. He hadn’t been able to visit him in a month. His dad had looked just fine and even managed to get his son to smile a little, but he had also failed to make Tavros speak. 

“Dave don’t fucking go there.” He warned hands on his wheels preparing to leave, there was no way he could handle this asshole any longer. He could feel the craving creeping up on him; he needed sweet clouded over bliss. ‘Shit I need a Snickers bar or something.’ He thought as he felt the shakes getting worse. He turned around and started heading down the hallway, screw his friends he needed to find a vending machine before he threw up.

“Well Dave, it was awful talking to you, and I honestly hope it never happens again.” He said over his shoulder as he rolled away. His escape was brought to a halt as his chair was grabbed and roughly turned around making him face Dave.

“So you’re just going to chicken out of a conversation the moment you hear something you don’t like? What happened to sassy ass Tavros?”

“He was betrayed, shot, drugged and –“ Tavros doubled over clutching his head in immense pain, his shaking was getting worse and he could feel his chest aching in various places. 

‘Crap, crap, crap!’ He was so far into his head that he didn’t notice that Dave had him out of his wheelchair and on the floor straddling his hips. He was too far in his memories that he only came back to the present when he felt his something foreign moving around in his mouth. This made him snap open his eyes (when had he closed them?) and look up at his brown eyes reflected in Dave’s aviator shades.

Tavros tried to push him off but Dave had his arms pinned to the floor. Tavros started struggling as hard as he could, but the shakes were making his defenses weak. Then he got an idea that he really hated since it was a win-lose situation. Gathering up his strength he head butted Dave as hard as he could, which was really effective as it caused Dave to get off of him. With his arms now free he pulled himself up and scooted away as far as he could wiping off his mouth.

“You asshole!” Dave said his stoic expression faltering into one of anger. He walked over to where Tavros was propped up against the wall still shaking and clutching his stomach. 

“You go out with that fucking bitch and now you’re with that fucked up clown. Remember freshman year Tavvy? You rejected me so fucking hard, and then you expected me to continue to just be your friend?!” he stepped closer to Tavros’ shaking form the poor boy was close to having a seizure at this point, but Dave pressed on. He knelt down on Tavros’ level and grabbed him by the hair and forced him to look at him. “Tavros Nitram, school pretty boy, Mr. Nice guy, earned the love and affection of the entire school. But even you had a skeleton in the fucking closet, and it came to bite you in the ass.”

“Not like it matters everything about you is fake like your stupid coolkid act. Stop acting like a friendzone victim, I didn’t like you like that.” Tavros shouted panting. “The moment you heard the news you told me that I was nothing but a hoodrat crack baby. I’m sorry about freshman year, but what my family did does not reflect on me you jackass.” Tavros’ panting increased and his nausea was getting worse, he couldn’t hold it in, he turned to his side and threw up his lunch coughing and hacking.

Dave was straddling Tavros again, but before he could get anywhere he heard the sound of running footsteps. He turned his head to see Karkat and Gamzee running towards him and a coughing Tavros. Dave inwardly cringed when he saw the pure fury showing in Gamzee’s purple eyes as he stared down at him and Tavros.

“What in the MOTHERFUCK DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING? Get the fuck off of him BEFORE I RIP YOUR MOTHERFUCKING lungs out.” Gamzee said as he lunged for Dave and shoved him off Tavros pinning him to the floor. Karkat rushed to Tavros’ side avoiding the puddle of vomit and feeling the boy’s forehead. 

“Shit Tavros you’re fucking burning up. What happened?” Karkat said in a low tone making sure Gamzee couldn’t hear… oh shit GAMZEE!!! Karkat turned to look and see that Gamzee was in a fist fight with Dave, who moved like a ninja and blocked all of Gamzee’s attacks. Karkat knew that couldn’t last for long, but Tavros was on the verge of passing out.

“It’s okay buddy I got you.” Tavros’ only response was a groan as Karkat lifted him up piggy back style and carried him to his wheelchair. Karkat turned back to see that Dave’s glasses were knocked askew and he had a few bruises forming, but his taunting was not helping his situation.

“Fighting for Serket’s sloppy seconds clown? He must be good on his back, like father like son.” Dave said as he spit out a small amount of blood. Gamzee gritted his teeth at Dave’s comment and he let loose the last bit of control he had been using so he wouldn’t kill the cool kid. Now he didn’t give a fuck if the ass spent the rest of his life as a vegetable in the hospital. Tav’s dad was a sore subject, but that little innuendo was the last straw.

Gamzee lunged forward once again and tackled Dave to the ground punching him in the face repeatedly, his leg pressing down on Dave’s abdomen. “That was a poor choice of WORDS MOTHER FUCKER I THINK IT’S TIME we get rid of that stupid VOICE OF YOURS” Gamzee raised his fist and aimed to punch Dave in the throat. Karkat grabbed Gamzee’s hand to prevent the act.

“Gamz, you have to calm down, Tavros is sick. Leave the insufferable prick we need to get him to his Aunt.” He explained straining to keep his voice even despite seeing Gamzee’s bloodied knuckles. Gamzee calmed down at the mention of Tavros and turned to see his shivering and hacking boyfriend. His face softened and he turned back to look at Dave who was lying still on his back. 

“Heh, look at who’s on his back now motherfucker.” He leaned down so he could whisper in Dave’s ear.   
“I never want to see you near Tavros again, don’t talk to him, don’t look at him, and don’t even be in the same room with him. Otherwise I will motherfucking end you, comprende?” He lifted his head to give Dave a harsh glare with a feral snarl on his painted lips. Dave nodded his head weakly, blood trickling out his nose.

Gamzee got off Dave and kicked him in the side, getting a groan from the coolkid. “That was for Nitrams everywhere.” Gamzee said with a sneer. He turned to Karkat and Tavros, Karkat was handing Tavros a bottle of water, and he watched as he chugged it down. He walked toward his boyfriend and knelt down in front of him.

“Tav, I’m sorry, shit we should’ve been here sooner, but we got held up—“ he was silenced by Tavros who placed a finger to his lips. He looked up and saw Tavros smiling a weak smile at him.

“Gamz, its okay I’m just glad you guys showed up when you did. Can we please just go to my house we’ll let you spend the night, if you want.” He said before going into another coughing fit.

“We’ll get you home Tav, but we still need to get Gamzee’s meds and some stuff from our house. Is there anything you need before we do that shit though?” Karkat asked as the trio exited the building leaving Dave behind. Should someone call an ambulance? Nah, someone will find him.

“Yeah, um, either of you got a Snickers bar?” Tavros asked as they got to the car, a small smile on his face. The other boys chuckled, until they saw Tavros’ expression change.

“Seriously, guys I need it.” He said staring at the brothers until they both nodded and they all loaded into the car.

“We’ll get it at the drugstore.” Karkat said as he driving out of the parking lot.

The boys got to Tav’s house to find the living room populated by Kanaya, Terezi, Nepeta, Aradia and three other girls. A girl with long brown hair who looked to be of Indian descent was standing on the coffee table while Kanaya was examining the black flapper styled dress she was wearing.

“It looks perfect on you Feferi.” One of the other girls exclaimed. She had long black hair, thin round glasses in front of bright green eyes and a slightly bucked tooth smile. Tavros recognized her as Jade Harley, John’s half - sister. He then realized that the blonde next to her was Rose Lalonde, Dave’s cousin.

Tavros would’ve freaked out about that, but he was too tired and he had a feeling Rose wouldn’t really care that her cousin got hurt, she’d see why he deserved it. The girls were wearing black outfits of varying styles. They were starring in and getting ready for the first big musical of the new year, Chicago. Upon seeing Tavros, Nepeta lunged at him in her black ballerina outfit, and tackled him in a hug.

“Oof, hey Nep, how’s it going?” Tav asked coughing a little.

Hearing how strained his voice was Nepeta inspected Tavros by feeling his forehead and poking around his cheeks.

“Tav, you’re burning up. Did something happen?” she asked worried, all the other girls turned to look at him with concern.

“Dave fucking assaulted him and Tav had a panic attack. Gamzee had to lunge at Dave and nearly beat the ever loving crap out of him.” Karkat explained.

Gamzee grit his teeth. His meds had barely kicked in after taking them when the trio stopped at a Taco Bell. “Motherfucker needed know to keep his hands to his fucking self.”

Deciding that the conversation was over Gamzee lifted Tavros out of his chair and carried him up the stairs. Karkat started to explain the whole story to Kanaya, who looked pissed after hearing what Dave had said about her uncle, and Rose who looked disappointed, but not surprised.

Gamzee took Tavros to his room, set him down on his bed and left to get the wheelchair. Tavros lied down and thought about the day’s earlier events. He was pissed that Dave wouldn’t just grow up and get over it, and he was glad Gamzee beat the crap out of him. His thoughts drifted towards his dad, and he thought about the next court hearing he had to go to. He would have to sit before the judge again, and testify against Vriska. He grimaced at the thought of seeing her again and possibly sending her to juvie. Although he was glad she was going to get what she deserved he still felt a little bad, but at least after that he won’t have to worry about it.

He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt a solid weight settle next to him on the bed, and he knew it was Equius. He turned his head and looked at the teen and saw that he wasn’t wearing his shades, his blue eyes looking down at him in concern.

“Gamzee said that you were sick and he told me about Dave. He definitely has a strong opinion on the incident and Strider. What do you have to say on the matter?” he asked. Tavros sighed and sat up looking at Equius’ features. He only took his shades off when he wanted to have a serious conversation. Tavros sat in thought, trying to decide how to answer.

“Dave’s a jerk, I’ve had three Snickers, four tacos and I just want to sleep.” He answered coughing a little. Equius stared at him for a moment, he knew that there was more the Taurus wanted to say. He stared Tavros down, and Tav stared right back both of them having a silent argument before Tavros finally caved.

“Ugh, alright I miss my dad, okay? It feels like I haven’t seen him in forever and I want to show him that I’m talking again, and make sure he’s doing okay. All that shit Dave said really got to me, and the fact that he was all on me is just gross. I have to send Vriska to the big house, which by the way may send me into another freaking panic attack. The Spring Showcase is happening right after that, which honestly kind of freaks me out. Altogether I’m exhausted, I feel violated and I know I need to calm down.” He said falling back onto the bed and mumbling something about needing a shower.

Equius chuckled lightly and ruffled Tavros hair. “Feel better?” he asked glad he got Tavros to vent.

“Yeah, a little. I just want…” He trailed off, blushing a little at what he couldn’t say. Equius got the hint, and with a small grin he got up to leave.

“I’ll let you and Gamzee have some privacy, no one will disturb you while you two discuss things.” He said with a suggestive tone. Tavros shot up to look at his god-brother.

“Equius Applejack Zahhak!” he exclaimed in defensive tone.

“Tavros Fluttershy Nitram.” Equius said simply before leaving the room letting Gamzee enter with the wheelchair.

“Did I up and motherfucking miss something babe?” he asked as Tavros got in the chair and moved to grab some clothes from his dresser.

“No. Now grab some clothes we’re taking a fucking bath.” Tavros grumbled as he moved to his bathroom. Gamzee blushed a bit before grabbing some clothes out of his back pack. A thousand thoughts were running through his head. He and Tavros were going to be naked, in a tub… alone. He could feel the burn in his cheeks. They had been dating for about a month, and Gamz knew it was best to respect his boyfriend’s demands. This was far from movies and cuddle sessions though.

‘I have no motherfucking clue how I feel about this.’ He thought as he stared down at the pajamas he grabbed. He walked to the bathroom closing the door as Tavros ran the bath water. He looked up to see that Tav was undressing taking his shirt off and tossing it to the corner. Usually Tav was shy about his scarred body, but right now he could care less and it showed through his actions. Gamzee sighed and began to get undressed as well.

Tavros turned the water off and slipped into the tub. He drew his knees to his chest and rested his forehead on them. Gamzee sat across from him looking at him in concern. Sometimes Tavros got moody and would go back to not speaking until he felt better. Usually Gamzee or Equius would find ways to get him to say what was bothering him. 

“So, this gonna happen a lot or is this a one-time thing?” Gamzee asked. Tavros just shrugged still not meeting his boyfriend’s gaze.

“Sorry, I kind of forced you into this. I’m just stressed and… I don’t know what I was thinking.” Tavros said in a quiet voice. Gamzee pulled Tavros’ hands from around his knees glad he was met with no resistance.

“Hey, look at me.” He said gently and Tavros slowly raised his head to make his brown eyes look at Gamzee’s indigo. “I don’t mind this. I just want to make sure you’re okay.” He said with a gentle smile. Tavros smiled back and put his legs down, moving them so that they rested on top of Gamzee’s. The Capricorn grabbed his left foot and began playing with it pressing his thumb into the bottom, and watched Tavros’ reaction. Tav was trying very hard to keep in his giggles, his face turning red from the effort. Gamz decided to put more pressure on the foot, and smiled as Tav burst into laughter.   
Gamzee chuckled at the sight of his boyfriend’s flushed face, and the sound of his giggles, he released the foot making sure to prevent a coughing fit. The Latino opened his eyes the blush still on his cheeks, he locked eyes with Gamzee.

“Damn you’re motherfucking sexy.” Gamzee said in quiet voice. Tavros blushed and smiled sheepishly  
.  
“You’re pretty fucking hot yourself.” Now it was Gamzee’s turn to blush. Tavros smirked glad that he could get such a reaction from his clown of a boyfriend. He didn’t show it often, but sometimes Gamzee got insecure about his looks. Tavros loved reminding him that he was fucking handsome. The two stared at each other for a few moments taking in each other’s appearance. Gamzee took in Tavros’ scars already having known from previous make-out sessions that the skin there was very sensitive. Tavros’ eyes fell to Gamzee’s hair then his face that was still covered in face paint. 

“Come here.” Tavros said gently. Gamzee obeyed and shifted so that he was sitting between Tavros’ legs. He was confused at first, but understood when he heard the clicking of a bottle cap and felt water fall on his head. He felt Tavros’ warm hands rub through his hair and rub the shampoo into it. Damn it felt good, he leaned back against Tavros’ chest as he felt nails scratch gently into his scalp. He relaxed and let Tavros do his thing, enjoying the attention. He knew the other needed this and he was happy to comply. Feeling Tavros’ hands in his hair stirred something in him and he realized that he was two seconds to boner town.

‘Shit no, not now!’ he thought squirming slightly, but enough for Tavros to cease his movements. Gamzee turned his head and saw Tavros’ confused expression and quickly turned back around. He was now blushing really hard and he was pretty sure Tav had noticed. As he panicked Tavros started giggling knowing exactly why Gamzee had freaked out.

“Babe, you want some help with that?” Tavros asked somehow managing to sound innocent yet seductive at the same time. He rinsed the shampoo out of Gamzee’s hair and sat back waiting for an answer.

Well, shit.

Yeah he didn’t really expect to be sitting in the bath tub with his boyfriend. He also wasn’t expecting for said boyfriend to offer to take care of his little situation. How did a simple hair washing turn into an erection? He could feel a blush forming on his face.

“So, you gonna give me an answer or not.” 

Gamzee turned around to look at Tavros who had a very mischievous grin on his face. Taking a deep breath Gamzee nodded slightly embarrassed and nervous. Yeah, he thought about being more intimate with his favorite motherfucker every once in a while, but he wanted to wait until Tavros was completely healed. Sloppy make-outs were one thing, but what Tav was planning was going to take their relationship to next level. 

‘Is that a bad thing?’ Gamzee thought remembering late night talks, cuddling, and the all-around feeling of happiness he felt when he was around Tavros in general. ‘Tav is the best thing that’s happened to me.’ He thought and with a shaky breath he leaned back into Tavros and looked up at him.

“What are you planning up in that pretty head of yours?” he smiled up at the Latino, and shuddered as he felt strong arms snake around his waist to pull him up a little more.

Tavros pressed a kiss to the hollow of his ear breathing on it sending shivers down south. A warm hand found its way to Gamzee’s cock, fingers wrapping around his shaft causing Gamzee to let out a low moan. Tavros smiled and started stroking Gamzee’s cock tightening his grip and pumping up and down. Gamzee’s moans came out as low growls and short gasps.

“F-fuck Tav… nnrrgh~” Tavros smiled as Gamzee bucked into his hand.

“Do you like that?” He whispered low in the dark haired boy’s ear.

“Motherfuck, yes!” Gamzee replied letting out a breathy moan. Tavros sped up his movements kissing and nipping at Gamzee’s exposed neck leaving behind bruises. Gamzee could feel pressure building in his lower abdomen.

“Tavros, I’m gonna… fuck…” Understanding what he was trying to say, Tavros used his other hand to lift Gamzee out of the water exposing his throbbing member to the cool air. He immediately sped up even more causing the older boy to completely lose control, and he came on Tavros’ hand. Tavros released his hold on Gamzee’s waist and let him sink back into the warm water. Breathing heavily he turned to look at Tavros again and saw him start licking his fingers clean never breaking eye contact. Once he was done Tavros gave Gamzee a bright smile looking as if he hadn’t done one of the hottest things Gamzee has ever seen in his life.

“Tav babe, you’re going to be the motherfuckin’ death of me.” He was answered by a chuckle and a kiss to the cheek. 

“So, can I at least put the conditioner in your hair now?” 

Gamzee laughed nodding and the two stayed in there a little while longer, actually cleaning up this time.

~ Like 20 minutes later~

After learning that Tav was really, really good with his hands Gamzee helped his boyfriend out of the tub, and they got dressed. It was only evening when they left the bathroom, but knowing that Tavros was still really tired, and feeling worn out from previous activities the two decided to call it a night. As they snuggled under the covers Gamzee kissed the top of Tavros’ head.

“I love you Tavros.” He said without hesitation. His mind was made up, Tavros was the one.

“I love you too, Gamzee.” Tavros said back pressing a kiss to Gamzee’s neck.

Gamzee went to sleep with the goofiest grin on his face.


	9. Trials and Tribulations

A week passed since the incident with Dave and the cool kid had backed off considerably. Which left plenty of time for Tavros to focus on his court date and the Spring Showcase. He had been practicing with Nepeta every chance he got. The duo were getting excited for their performance and everyone was preparing for the big show. Gamzee and John were performing a scene together, and Sollux and Aradia were going to do a dance. Even those who weren’t performing were excited to see what their classmates were going to do.

“Don’t forget Tav, me and you date.” Gamzee said to Tavros at lunch where the girls let out a chorus of ‘awws.’ 

“Oh, I remember sir, but I have a question. Just where do you plan on taking me for this romantic date?” Tav replied looking at Gamzee inquisitively. That made Gamzee pause for a second. He hadn’t actually thought of a place to take Tavros!

‘Motherfuck! Shit I didn’t motherfucking plan that shit.’ He thought to himself visibly looking distressed. Tavros looked on in amusement, somehow he figured as much. The two stared at each other Gamzee not sure how to take Tavros’ amused expression and Tavros silently enjoying Gamzee’s panicked state. Everyone at the table watched on in silence not completely sure what to do.

“So haven’t found a place yet?” John asked deciding that he should try to ease the situation. “Well Tav likes all kinds of food, so I’m sure whatever place you find will be perfect…” he trailed off not sure what else to say, but Tav decided to show some mercy and spoke up.

“Well if you haven’t had a chance to look up any places I guess all I can say is ask a friend.” He said with a small smile. Gamzee decided that meant he was off the hook for now, but later he was going to have to ask someone about where he could take his boyfriend.

“Heh, tourist.” Terezi muttered.

The bell rang and everyone dispersed into their different groups and headed to class.

~time skip: Saturday a.k.a. Tav’s court date~

He was nervous he had no fucking reason to be nervous. He wasn’t the one who was being judged, no, but he was the one who was sending his ex-girlfriend to the big house. Well actually that was something the jury had to decide… who cares!? He never wanted to sit in a courtroom ever again. At least this time he was all the way clean and he wasn’t wrapped in bandages like a teenage mummy. His dad was there too, but not this time. He had Horuss and his attorney that was enough… right?  
Tavros was shaken from his thoughts at the feeling of warm hands on his shoulders. He looked up to see Horuss smiling down at him. How could he smile at a time like this?

“It’s time. Are you ready?”

Tavros had to stop himself from laughing at the question. No, he wasn’t, but if he didn’t get this over with it was going to drive him insane. Nodding his head he allowed himself to be pushed into the courtroom. He recognized the judge from his father’s court hearing… this was going to be short, but painful. He took his seat and watched as the bailiff brought out Vriska. 

‘Damn she looks terrible.’ Tavros thought as he took in her disheveled appearance and he noted that she was wearing an eye patch over one eye. ‘Well this might be more interesting than I thought.’

He then made a silent vow to avoid eye contact at all times, especially when he could feel her staring at him from across the aisle. The hearing started with them calling Tavros to the stand, which he hated because it meant maneuvering into a chair that sat on a platform. 

‘Well at least this is scoring me sympathy points.’ He thought bitterly as he got himself situated in the seat. Once he was ready he went through the whole song and dance of swearing that he’d tell the truth, blah blah, so help him God. Then the attorney who was representing him came up and started asking him questions.

“Mr. Nitram. On the day of your kidnapping you had been led to believe that you had a dinner date with Ms. Serket?”

“Yes.”

“But instead of finding Ms. Serket, you were met by three men who were bigger than you and attacked you.”

“Yes sir.”

“You managed to fight them off one by one. How?”

“I have mixed martial arts training, sir.” Tav was getting slightly confused, but went along with the questions.

“So after you seemingly subdued the men you attempted to run away, but in your haste to escape you were shot in the back.” On this a screen had been set up and there was a projection of Tavros’ back after the surgery to remove the bullet. He cringed inwardly as he looked at the bloody bandages that had been wrapped around his waist. There were a series of murmurs and he suddenly felt self-conscious about his scars. Even though the only one visible was the one on his face. 

“I have no more questions for Mr. Nitram.” And with that Tavros slipped into his wheelchair as quickly and quietly as possible, even though he knew all eyes were on him. He moved back to his spot and watched as his lawyer called Vriska to the stand.

Tavros watched as she took the seat and went through the same procedure he did. Then came the questions.

“Ms. Serket, is it correct that your mother was the one who ordered you to trick Mr. Nitram?”

“Yes.”

“And what was her reasoning for such a request?”

“She and The Summoner had been having a feud for years and when she found out that Tavros was his son she came up with a plan. She wanted to start a gang war, and she needed Tavros for it. Until then no one knew much about the Summoner’s kid, but they knew he was off limits.” Vriska explained staring at Tavros the whole time, but he refused to meet her gaze.

“So what you’re saying is that your mother forced you into tricking your boyfriend into going into a trap that eventually led to his two day torture?” 

“Yes.” Vriska said softly.

“No further questions your honor.” The lawyer said as he took his seat. 

“If there are no further questions, the jury is dismissed to discuss their decisions.” The judge said and everyone took a break.

“How are you doing Tav?” Horuss asked once they were out of the courtroom.  
In all honesty he had no idea how he was feeling he just felt numb. Which was better than feeling stressed, but he still felt the overwhelming need for something, but he didn’t know what. He needed to talk to someone he needed to talk to Gamzee. He whipped out his cell phone and pressed the one on his keypad and Gamzee picked up after the first ring.

“Hey Tavbabe, what’s up?”

“Nothing just that the trial will be over soon and I wanted to talk to you and stuff.”

“You aren’t freaking out are you? Because it’s okay Tav, she deserves to go to prison, you aren’t doing anything wrong. You hear me?”

“Yeah, yeah I got it thanks babe. I feel better.” Tav said as he took some deep breaths.

“Are you sure? You still sound like you need to calm down.” Gamzee said concerned.

“I’ll be fine. The jury is about to read their verdict. I got to go, but I’ll talk to you later, okay?”  
“Yeah okay Tav. I love you.”

“I love you, too. Bye.”

Tavros hung up with a sigh and pocketed his phone. He wheeled himself into the courtroom and sat at his table and watched as the jury filed in. After everything got settled the judge made the final call and the foreman of the jury stood up.

“We the jury find the accused Vriska Serket, guilty of all charges.”

And that’s how the case was closed, it was very anti-climactic and Tavros was just glad it was over. He really was just too tired to deal with this. He watched Vriska as she was led away and he still didn’t know how to feel.

Once everyone had filed out Horuss and Tavros left and went back home. The car ride back was uneventful and Tavros ended up falling asleep. Once they got back to the house Horuss dropped him off and left stating that he had some paper work that he needed to fill out. 

Tavros just nodded and went inside to find the house completely empty. He liked the idea of being able to take a nap in peace. This was something he hadn’t experienced in a long time and as he wheeled himself to the stairs he wondered how he was supposed to get to his room. That’s when he remembered that there was a bedroom he could sleep in that was on the first floor. His dad’s room which had practically been off limits since the arrest, but know Tavros wanted to go in. It had been a while since he’d been in there and he really wanted to sleep in a bed.

So Tavros rolled his way past the living room until he came to the short hallway that leads to his dad’s room. He wondered briefly if it had been locked, but after testing out the handle he found that it was not. He pushed his way inside and found that the room basically hadn’t been touched since his father left. It was pretty messy, but that was probably because of the rush he had been in to save Tav. For the most part the room was clean. You could still see the floor and everything was organized, but in a cluttered sort of way. Tavros moved closer to the bed and got in it. The bed definitely smelled like his father, pine and gun powder. Tavros wrapped himself in the blankets and fell asleep dreaming about the days when he was younger and he played games with his dad.

Tavros missed his dad so much.


	10. Performances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song used: Two is Better Than One   
> By: Boys like Girls feat. Taylor Swift  
> Bold is Tavros  
> italic is Nepeta  
> Bold italic is both  
> Headcannon voices Kevin McHale for Tavros  
> Naya Rivera for Nepeta

The Spring Showcase was here and everyone was excited. Tavros, Nepeta, Gamzee, Sollux and Aradia were sitting backstage admiring outfits and telling funny jokes and stories. The actual event wasn’t going to start for another thirty minutes.

“Seriously, do you have to tell them that story? I thought we had agreed never to speak of it.” Sollux said crossing his arms. His and Aradia’s dance outfits were white tuxedos with light pink vests. The only differences being that Sollux had pants, but Aradia had shorts. Both were barefoot.

“Yes, I do because that was one of the funny practices we’ve ever had and you both know it.” Aradia said eyeing both Tavros and Sollux. The two boys stared at each other for a second and then started laughing at their past shenanigans in the trio’s past dance practices.

“It was fun and you know it. You’re just mad because I won.” Tavros chimed in. He was wearing black biker boots, grey skinny jeans, and a black spiked vest over a white T-shirt with a bleeding heart on it. His hair was gelled so it stood up a little more than usual. Gamzee who was sitting on his lap was wearing all black as required by the actors. He abandoned his face paint for tonight and Nepeta helped put concealer on his scars just like she did with Tavros.

“I got the whole thing on video. Gamzee you should watch it.” Nepeta said with an eyebrow wiggle. She was wearing a red long sleeved bubble skirt dress that had blue hearts decorating the sleeves and sides, white leggings and black knee high boots. Her short hair had been straightened giving her a curtain of bangs that stopped at her eyebrows.

“Tav twerking, huh?” Gamzee said with a thoughtful expression.

“That’s something I have to see. Nepsis send me the link to that motherfucker!” Gamzee said excitedly and Tavros shoved him off his lap. Gamzee landed on the floor with a ‘honk’ and everyone laughed.

“Hey Gamzee where’s John?” Aradia asked looking around. Gamzee got off the floor and went back to sitting in Tavros lap. “He and Karkat went to the dressing room a little while ago to talk about something. Something very motherfucking important.” Gamzee said wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Nepeta squealed and rushed over to Gamzee and Tavros bouncing on her feet excitedly.

“Spill, what do you know? Please tell me he’s finally going to furcking ask.” Nepeta said getting in Gamzee’s face. Gamzee chuckled and was going to tell her before the aforementioned boys came down the hall holding hands.

Everybody started cheering and clapping at the duo, and Karkat groaned irritably while John grinned. “Will you all shut up? It’s like you’ve never seen two guys holding hands. We’ve been hanging out with exhibit A over there and putting up with their shit since they fucking met.” Karkat said pointing at Gamzee and Tavros who decided to prove his point by having an over exaggerated make out session right there.

“Oh my God, would you two jackasses stop that?” Karkat practically screamed. The two broke apart and looked at him innocently.

“What?” they asked in unison.

Everyone else snickered as Karkat looked like he was about to punch them but was gently tugged back by John who smiled at him sweetly. Karkat visibly relaxed. “I should go get a fucking seat. Break a leg, assholes.” Karkat grumbled before giving John a quick hug and leaving. John turned back to look at the others who were all staring at him with grins on their faces.

“Shut up.” He said chuckling. Rose who was stage manager for the event came backstage and requested for all performers to go to the wings of the stage. Gamzee got off of Tavros lap and everyone filed out onto the stage. Tavros let everyone go ahead of him and he was about to roll on stage but Rose stopped him. He looked up her questioningly and she offered a small smile.

“How are you doing?” she asked. “I’m doing pretty good. Why do you ask?” as if he didn’t already know.

“Just checking, remember if you need someone to talk to I’m here.” Rose said sincerely.

Tavros smiled at her. “Thanks Rose, I’ll keep that in mind.” He started to roll away before he stopped and turned in his chair to look at her.

“You know Kanaya’s supposed to be here tonight. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you. Especially wearing that.” Rose blushed and looked down at her knee length dark purple dress that Kanaya had made for her. They smiled at each other before going their separate ways. Tavros went to the left of the stage to sit next to Nepeta who was fidgeting nervously.

He looked at her for a few moments before placing his hand on top of her shaking hands. “Nep, I’m sure it’ll be fine.” He said reassuringly.

“I know, I just hope the message gets to the right person.” Nepeta said in a worried voice. Tavros nodded in understanding. He was going to say more but was cut off when he heard Ms. Lalonde’s voice.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Hussie High’s Spring Showcase. This year since we’re so close to Valentine’s Day the theme for tonight is Love. Be prepared for performances that demonstrate the joy, wonder, and yes even heartbreak that come along with this wonderful feeling. Thank you and enjoy.” The audience clapped and cheered but the performers were more focused on Ms. Lalonde’s apparent sobriety. Not a single word was slurred.

“Well that was new and a little weird.” Sollux stated and everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

As the program began to start all dancers were called and Sollux and Aradia got up to get in line. They were second to perform and the dance they did was a mix between tango and ballet all to an instrumental version of Adele’s Rolling in the Deep. The audience cheered and clapped for them as they ran off stage both slightly out of breath. Next up were the actors John and Gamzee They perform a scene from Othello and the audience loves them. The boys bow and go backstage to wait for the singing portion to come up. When they get there Tavros and Nepetas are gone causing confusion for Gamzee.

“Where did Tav and Nepsis go?” he asked Sollux and Aradia.

“You’ll see when they have to perform.” Sollux said and Aradia nodded reassuringly. Fifteen minutes later the acting portion of the night was over and the singers were up next. Gamzee sat impatiently through three performances before it was Tavros and Nepeta’s turn. His jaw dropped when he saw fog come up from the stage and two figures rose up from the ground. He didn’t know the school’s stage had a trapdoor. The fog cleared to reveal Tavros sitting on a black wooden stool holding a guitar and Nepeta holding a red microphone. The crowd grew silent and Tavros started strumming.

**“I remember what you wore on the first day. You came into my life and I thought hey. You know, this could be something. 'Cause everything you do and words you say. You know that it all takes my breath away and now I'm left with nothing.”**

**_“So maybe it's true that I can't live without you and maybe two is better than one. But there's so much time to figure out the rest of my life. And you've already got me coming undone and I'm thinking two is better than one.”_ **

_“I remember every look upon your face.”_

**“The way you roll your eyes, the way you taste. You make it hard for breathing.”**

_“'Cause when I close my eyes and drift away, I think of you and everything's okay. I'm finally now believing.”_

_**“Then maybe it's true that I can't live without you and maybe two is better than one. But there's so much time to figure out the rest of my life. And you've already got me coming undone and I'm thinking two is better than one.”** _

**“I remember what you wore on the first day. You came into my life and I thought, hey”**

**_“Maybe it's true that I can't live without you. Maybe two is better than one. There's so much time to figure out the rest of my life and you've already got me coming undone”_ **

**“And I'm thinking”**

_**“Ooh, I can't live without you. 'Cause, baby, two is better than one. There's so much time to figure out the rest of my life. But I'll figure out with all that's said and done. Two is better than one, two is better than one.”** _

Once the song ended the crowd cheered and Gamzee nearly cried with how much he could feel Tavros’ emotions even if he couldn’t see his face during the song. He loved it and he was so proud of Tavros, and he couldn’t wait to ditch this place and take his boyfriend out. Just then he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and checked to see that it was Karkat. Perplexed he read the message and what he read shocked him.

DAD’S HERE AND HE WANTS TO TALK TO YOU. IT’S ABOUT TAVROS! Gamzee looked out at the crowd but the stage lights made it hard for him to make out any of the faces. Gamzee gulped, his dad knew he was gay so there was only one other reason he would want to talk to him. His father did not approve of the ex-drug dealer’s son.

He felt dread settle in his stomach, his father was here and he probably knew all about Tavros by now. He had never thought about it, but his father’s job with the FBI probably allowed him to know all about Tavros’ father and anything related to the Nitrams and the rest of their family. He worried that his father wouldn’t understand that Tavros never had any part in criminal activity.

‘Shit, shit, shit.’ Gamzee started pacing back and forth coming up with a plan. If he could just grab Tavros and leave the school without his father noticing, then he’d be free and he could talk to his father another time. A time that Tavros wasn’t anywhere near him, the last thing he needed was to stress out his boyfriend. Aradia, Sollux and John watched in concern as he paced back and forth effectively missing that the program had ended. John walked up and placed a hand on Gamzee’s shoulder.

“Dude you need to calm down, you’re freaking us out.” John said and Sollux and Aradia nodded in agreement. Gamzee froze and looked around and saw that people were leaving.

“Fuck.” Gamzee muttered. Abandoning his plan to run he left the backstage area to head to the school’s lobby. Once there he saw that Tavros was with his family and he scanned the area for his. Seeing Karkat and Kurloz he walked over to them, but not before giving Tavros a quick hug and peck on the lips. Tavros could tell something was wrong but decided not to say anything. Once Gamzee met his brothers he looked around for his dad.

“Where’s Pop?” he asked nervously. Kurloz jerked his thumb towards the bathroom and gave Gamzee an apologetic look. ‘Great I’m about to get an earful.’ Gamzee thought with a grimace. He was in no mood to deal with this shit. He wanted to take Tavros and get the fuck out so they could finish the rest of the night at the restaurant he planned to take Tavros to. His father came out of the bathroom, but he was arguing with an older man. This man was at least in his late fifties, with graying brown hair and familiar brown eyes. Gamzee noticed that he spoke with a thick Mexican accent. He stared at them as they argued and he was trying to figure out why the mystery man looked so familiar.

“Abuelo? What are you doing here?” Tavros said loudly very surprised and the men stopped arguing.

Gamzee looked between his boyfriend and the older man. He face palmed himself as realization dawned on him. His father had met Tavros’ grandfather the original Summoner who runs a drug ring in most of Latin America.

‘Oh God, please don’t let my father arrest somebody!’ he prayed silently. He looked over at Tavros who had been staring back and forth between Mr. Makara and Gamzee, he also face palmed himself and Gamzee was worried about how much stress this would cause him.

“Dad, I didn’t motherfucking know you were coming tonight!” Gamzee said. Henry straightened and looked around at everyone staring. He cleared his throat and walked over to his sons not looking back at Grandpa Nitram who walked over to his family. Porrim and Horuss glanced at each other unsure of how to handle this situation. Back with the Makaras the elder looked down at Gamzee.

“Karkat tells me you’re dating that Nitram boy.” Gamzee turned to look at Karkat who immediately mouthed ‘I’m sorry.’

“Yes, I motherfucking am. That a problem, Pops?” Gamzee asked with a hint of a challenge in his voice. “Are you aware of his… background?” Mr. Makara asked with a raised brow.

“Look I know what you’re thinking and Tavros is nothing but a victim in that whole mess. He wants nothing to do with what his father did, and you should just give him a motherfucking chance. He’s been through enough hell.” Gamzee stated looking his father in the eyes. Mr. Makara looked from him to Tavros who was hugging his grandfather and laughing. This went against a lot of his protocols, but he decided to ignore it. He was off duty and no one was doing anything illegal…yet.

“You’re right. I guess I should get to know him.” He said. Gamzee’s jaw dropped, he was so confused. His speech actually worked? Glad that his father was agreeing to meet his boyfriend he dragged him over to Tavros to make introductions. Everyone introduced themselves and there was an air of relief.

“So grandpa, when did you get here?” Tavros asked his grandfather.

“Earlier today, I wanted to see you sooner, but I got held up back home. I’m glad to see you back in your element. I was also planning to go visit your father.” Grandpa Nitram explained. Tavros’ smile slipped slightly at the mention of his father and he started to get suspicious of his grandfather’s true intentions, but decided not to say anything. That was a conversation meant to be had in private.

“So Tavvie, this is your boyfriend, eh?” Mr. Nitram asked as he circled around Gamzee as if he were looking at a sports car in a car show. Gamzee stood still under the old man’s inspection.

‘Just relax Gamz. He won’t hurt you.’ Gamzee thought as Grandpa Nitram came to a stop and stared Gamzee in the face. His fierce eyes burning into Gamzee’s making the teen uncomfortable. The elder Nitram pulled back with a smile.

“I like this one, he’s scared of me. Good.” Grandpa Nitram laughed and clapped Gamzee on the back. Gamzee grunted at the old man’s strength. Mr. Makara decided to talk to Tavros as well. “You did a wonderful job up there Tavros. I really enjoyed that dramatic entrance.”

“Thank you Mr. Makara. Did you like it Gam?” Tavros said looking up at his boyfriend with a sweet smile on his face.

“I fucking loved it Tav. You guys were great.” Gamzee said hugging him tightly. Tavros then took the moment to quickly whisper in his ear. “I’m pretty sure we’re going to have to postpone that date to another time. Do you think dinner with our families together is a good idea or do you think we should wait another time?” Tavros said quickly and Gamzee had to ignore the shiver that went through his body at the feeling of Tavros’ breath on his ear. He stood up straight and examined their family members chatting away and looking pretty friendly with each other. Looking at them he felt that maybe it could be a good idea, and he hadn’t seen that much of his dad in a long time. He looked back at Tavros and gave him a nod. Tavros smiled back feeling reassured, and the boys looked back at their families. Gamzee cleared his throat loudly getting everyone’s attention.

“So, me and Tav were going to leave and go get dinner and shit, but since my dad and grandpa Nitram are here we think maybe we should all go and get something to eat.” Gamzee explained looking at the group. Porrim and Kanaya nodded their heads.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea boys. It would be good for everyone to get to know each other.” Porrim said looking at her father and Horuss. Grandpa Nitram shrugged with a smile, but Horuss looked uncomfortable. Equius spoke up first.

“I actually had plans of my own for tonight, so… I’m gonna go.” Before anyone could object Equius was running down the hall and out the schools doors. Everyone glanced at each other confused. Everyone except Tavros who was more concerned than surprised. He looked around and spotted Nepeta with her mother Ms. D and her older sister she was staring at the doors where Equius had escaped. They locked eyes and she raised an eyebrow and he shrugged. That was also a conversation that was going to be had in private.

‘At this rate I’m going to have to set up appointments.’ Tavros mused.

“Okay, anyone else got plans?” Gamzee said.

Kurloz raised his hand sheepishly and pointed down at his wristwatch, he had to work tonight. He hugged his family goodbye and left the building with much more grace than Equius had but not without glancing at Nepeta’s older sister and flashing a smile before he left. Kurloz you sly dog you. Horuss decided to speak up, too.

“I have to go and make some calls and set up some things. By the way Tavros don’t forget about your appointments Saturday.” Tavros could smell the lies rolling through that excuse, but decided to not say anything about it. He nodded his head and Horuss also exited the building.

“Well Kanaya and I can stay. And everything should be fine. Who wants Italian?” Porrim said deciding to help the mood shift. Everyone else agreed and the group headed out of the school. Karkat decided to ride with Henry, while Gamzee went in his car with Tavros, and Porrim, grandpa Nitram and Kanaya went in Porrim’s car. Once they were on the road Porrim took the lead and talked with her father.

“What are you planning to talk to Rufioh about father?” Porrim asked, and Kanaya leaned back in her seat keeping quiet. “Nothing much, I mainly want to see how he’s holding up. If he needs anything. How long does he have in there anyway?”

“He has five to ten, he could get out earlier with good behavior.”

“Pretty lenient sentence.” Grandpa Nitram stated.

“Well he did turn in another gang leader who did way worse stuff than just selling drugs. Smuggling, embezzlement and sex trafficking. Now they’re pretty much disbanded. Most of the members are either in prison or dead. Some aren’t accounted for though. I don’t think the Scorpions will be a problem any longer, especially since their leader is gone.” Porrim said somberly.

“What do you mean gone?” Kanaya spoke up.

Porrim grimaced. “She’s dead. I don’t know all the details, but she killed herself after the first week. Do not tell Tavros even though the bitch deserved it, it will still upset him. How Rufioh managed to raise such a sensitive kid I’ll never know.” She said with a chuckle. The other two nodded with small smiles.

In Gamzee’s car he and Tavros were well... gossiping really.“What was the deal with Equius? I’ve never seen him move that motherfucking fast.” Gamzee said.

“I honestly don’t know. Nepeta had no clue either and he’s her best friend. If he doesn’t tell me anything he’ll tell her, and then she usually tells me.” He said with a chuckle.

“You guys have been best friends for a long time huh?” Gamzee asked.

"Heh yeah" Tavros answered.

“So, I know we never talk about it. But it seems like most of your family just doesn’t act like...”

“A bunch of criminals?” Tavros finished for him. Gamzee gave a curt nod as he stared out at the road. “We were raised to go against the stereotypes. In all honesty we might end up moving on from the crime life soon. We have no real reason to do it anymore.” Tavros explained.

The Nitrams had made a fortune with their drugs and Santos, Tavros’ grandpa had made some wise investments. He made sure his children were educated and always gave them the options to do whatever they wanted in life. Why Rufioh chose to continue the business Tavros will probably never know.

“So, are you going to go see your dad with your grandpa?” Gamzee asked.

“Yeah.” Tavros said solemnly.

“You don’t sound excited, what’s wrong?” Gamzee asked.

Tavros looked out the window thinking of how he could explain his concerns. The Nitram family had a system for how they handled certain… problems. They valued family at all costs that was the main rule, but getting caught by the cops was hardly ever an issue this was a situation no one ever really prepared for. Rufioh Nitram got a pretty short sentence all things considered, but Nitrams and cages don’t mix. Tavros was concerned that his grandfather didn’t come to just visit. He’d have to ask his grandfather about it later. If Santos had ulterior motives Tavros might actually have to get involved.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.” Tavros said finally.

Gamzee shot him a look that said he wasn’t convinced, but Tavros stared back with a strong fire in his eyes. Gamzee reluctantly backed down. Meanwhile with Henry and Karkat the two sat in silence for a bit before Henry finally spoke.

“How are you doing Kar?” Henry asked his adopted son while keeping his eyes on the road. Karkat glanced at him and shrugged.

“I don’t have much to say. I told you about John at the show, but I’m pretty sure he left with his family.”

“Maybe I’ll have to meet him next time.” Henry said. The air in the car was a little tense, but it was mostly affecting Karkat since he had a question burning in his mind.

“You know Gamzee’s not going to listen if you yell at him, right?” Karkat said.

Henry sighed he wasn’t in the mood for this even though Karkat had a point. “Look I’m not going to have a repeat of what happened last time. I’m not going to let him get carried away again, especially with some damaged heir to a drug ring.”

“Tavros is a good guy! But I guess all the files you got on his family wouldn’t tell you that. Besides this is nothing like last time Gamzee went to Tavros and I fucking helped. Gamzee isn’t they only one who had a bad romantic experience. Tavros has too. So please just give him a chance, Gamzee is truly happy for once.” Karkat said to his father.

Because Henry isn’t his real father Karkat usually isn’t afraid to talk back to him. Knowing that the kid is more mature Henry tends to listen to him especially when it comes to Gamzee.

“Fine, I’ll give the kid a chance.” Everyone got to the restaurant that Porrim led them to.

The group sat in a table in the back away from other people. After a few more questions between the adults about trivial things and jokes between the teens they ordered their dinners. Then the questions were underway.

“So Tavros what do you plan to do when you get older?” Henry asked.

Tavros thought for a moment, he had a few ideas. Before the incident he had wanted to be a singer and while he still liked singing he wanted to take a different path. He had been so focused on getting his life back together that he honestly hadn’t thought about what he wanted to do now, but he knew what he didn’t want to do.

“I’m honestly not sure at the moment.” Tavros stated finally. “I have a lot of interests, but I’m not sure which one I’d make a career out of.” Henry nodded in understanding.

“Well you’ve got time to figure it out.”

“You know Tavros you could still have a shot at being a-“

“Oh my god, no! Kanaya we are not opening that can of worms again. I gave up on that idea a long time ago.” Tavros said interrupting his cousin.

Porrim however wanted to voice her opinion. “Oh, but Tavros you were so good. In fact we still get letters asking for you to come back. Why don’t you consider it? I’m sure they’ll let you wear clothes this time.” Porrim said reassuringly, this caused all the other males at the table to stare at them confused.

“Say what?” grandpa Nitram asked.

Apparently this was the first he heard about well whatever the three were talking about. Tavros let out an exasperated sigh.

“I used to be a swimsuit model alongside Kanaya.” He grumbled.

Tavros and Kanaya took modeling jobs for various designers a while back. Tavros was mostly called in to model swimsuits and street clothes and Kanaya would mostly model evening wear or promotional ads for perfumes and shoes. It had been a while since Tavros had taken a gig, but Kanaya decided to continue and eventually became a professional. She wasn’t in high end fashion yet, but she was definitely getting there.

Their food came and the subject was temporarily dropped. Everyone started eating and they all fell into a comfortable silence. Well it was comfortable until Gamzee and Tavros started feeding each other causing Karkat to glare murderously at them. Then they started feeding him and he grumpily took their food. The adults just laughed at their antics.

“Dammit Tavros, why is your food so fucking spicy?” Karkat asked taking big gulps of water.

“Because I like it hot!” Tavros replied smirking and wriggling his eyebrows. Everyone chatted some more and after paying the check the boys left the restaurant with their respective families. Later that night when they were in their homes the boys texted each other to talk about how the dinner went.

adiosToreador: i THINK IT WENT WELL, wHAT DO YOU THINK?

terminallyCapricious: I tHiNk It WaS mOtHeRfUcKiNg GrEaT :o) I tHiNk My dAd LiKeS yOu

adiosToreador: mY GRANDPA LIKES YOU TOO }:) BUT,,

terminallyCapricious: WhAt :o(

adiosToreador: i FELT LIKE YOUR DAD WAS JUDGING US OR LIKE HE WAS WATCHING HOW WE INTERACT?

terminallyCapricious: Oh YeAh WeLl YoU SeE yOu aReN’t My FiRsT bOyFrIeNd

adiosToreador: }:o i’M SO SHOCKED, I NO LONGER FEEL SPECIAL

terminallyCapricious: PlEaSe DoN’T mOtHeRfUcKiNg mAkE Me LaUgH tAvBrO I’m TrYiNg To GeT aLl SeRiOuS AnD sHiT

adiosToreador: oKAY NO MORE JOKES PLEASE GO ON

Gamzee took a deep breath even though he wasn’t going to be talking to Tavros face-to-face this was a subject he needed to prepare for.

terminallyCapricious: A yEaR aGo I wAs DaTiNg ThIs GuY ThAt I tHoUgHt I wAs eXtReMlY In LoVe WiTh. At FiRsT I ThOuGhT eVeRyThInG wAs FiNe.

adiosToreador: bUT,,,

Gamzee sighed at the memories he didn’t think he could tell Tavros everything he wanted over the phone. He needed to actually look at him.

terminallyCapricious: TaV I DoN’t ThInK I CaN cOntInUe ThIs OvEr ThE pHoNe

adiosToreador: tHAT’S OKAY I GET IT DO YOU WANT TO COME OVER TOMORROW AND HANG OUT?

terminallyCapricious: I WoUlD mOtHeRfUcKiNg LoVe ThAt

adiosToreador: oKAY TOMORROW NIGHT MY HOUSE, wE’LL DO WHATEVER YOU WANT

terminallyCapricious: YoU’Re ThE mOtHeRfUcKiNg BeSt :o)

adiosToreador: }:o)

terminallyCapricious: LoL gOoD nIgHt BaBe. I lOvE yOu

T: i LOVE YOU TOO, gOOD NIGHT gAMZ.

Gamzee lied down in his bed smiling. He knew that what he and Tavros had was real.


	11. We're All a Little Haunted

Tavros put his phone in his pocket and mulled over what Gamzee probably had to say, he could tell it was serious. ‘So, he’s been hurt before too.’ at least that’s what he figured. He leaned into the couch cushions and waited for his grandfather to sit in the chair next to him. Once Santos sat down the two stared at each other not really sure where to start. Santos broke the silence first.

“You’re growing into a very talented young man Tavvy. I’m proud of you and your father. I know it’s not easy for you to not be with him, but I’m sure with good behavior he’ll be out in no time.” The older man said with a gentle smile.

“I hope so, Grandpa why did dad get into the dealing business in the first place? I mean after a lot of things that’s happened I don’t understand why he stuck with it.” Tavros explained. Santos looked at him with a hint of sadness in the brown Nitram eyes.

“You mean your mother don’t you?” Tavros nodded not meeting his gaze. “Your mother and father were young when they had you and Aradia.” Tavros nodded a pang of sadness in his chest. Aradia was a sore subject.

They hadn’t lived together as a family in almost seven years, but she and Tavros did their best to stay connected. They were fraternal twins Aradia had their mother’s Japanese features while Tavros had their dad’s Latin. After what happened to their mom Aradia was sent to live with their maternal grandmother Gran Megido and Tavros stayed with Rufioh. Rufioh didn’t want to split the kids up, but Gran demanded to take Aradia away from his violent lifestyle. He had managed to have Tavros and Aradia trained in martial arts and weapons of various kinds to protect themselves.

Santos continued “Rufioh wanted to be able to provide for all of you, he figured that dealing would be the fastest way to earn money. I think after what happened to your mother he snapped and that’s why he had you two trained. He was in too deep to just quit and we never were able to figure out who was behind the ambush. I think now he’s ready to leave the dealings behind, and that I am fine with. I plan on cutting back as well, perhaps make the family go back to being respected for its military history.” Santos said dreamily. He had been thinking about retiring the empire and reforming it for the better.

“I would like that. Although I don’t think I plan on going into the military.” Tavros said sheepishly. Santos laughed and ruffled his hair.

“No you are going to be a super star, huh? You’ve got wonderful talents and potential. You, Aradia and Kanaya are going to be stars.” They both chuckled.

Tavros yawned and without missing a beat Santos scooped him up and threw his grandson over his shoulder. Tavros squirmed halfheartedly. It’s not like there was another way to get upstairs, but really? Santos deposited Tavros on the bed shouted his goodnight and closed the bedroom door. Tavros looked to his left to see that the crutches he was practicing with around house were leaning on his dresser. He got up and grabbed one so he could lean on his right leg and he grabbed some clothes and changed. He lied down on his bed memories of the day he learned about his father’s career coming into his mind. It was also the day his mother Damara had died.

_Tavros and Aradia were playing in the backyard of their house laughing and rough housing. Tavros tackled his older sister (by four minutes) and they tumbled and rolled in the grass._

_“Gotcha, now y-you’re going to jail! For taking the crown jewels.” Tavros shouted, but Aradia managed to free her hands and started tickling Tavros._

_“I know your weakness.~” Aradia sing songed as she tickled the younger boy._

_“N-nooooo. Ahhahhahhahahhahaha!” Tavros screech rolling in the grass as Aradia ruthlessly tickled his sides. A tall woman of Japanese descent came out to the backdoor._

_“Okay you two come inside to wash up and get ready to eat.” she said smiling at her kids._

_“Okay Mama.” They said in unison and they scampered off into the house. While the children were upstairs the doorbell rang and Damara went over to look at the security camera monitor to see a tall man wearing all black standing at the door. She noticed the rifle on his back and scurried up the stairs. Aradia and Tavros were about to come down when they saw their mother rush up looking worried._

_“Mom what’s wrong?” Tavros asked concern in his brown eyes. Damara thought of a way to explain the situation without making the twins panic._

_“We need to hide in Papa’s secret room for a little bit, okay?” she said in a whisper the ten year olds didn’t understand, but they nodded. Damara then led them into their Rufioh’s study when a loud bang was heard. They all jumped and Damara rushed to close and lock the door to the study before searching the room._

_“Mom, what was that?” Aradia asked frightened. They heard shouting and heavy footsteps. The twins started hugging each other panic rising in their chests. Damara continued to look for something pulling books off shelves and examining the walls._

_“Where is it, where is it?” she mumbled to herself still looking until her eyes landed on the painting that was on the back wall where the twins were huddled. It was a screenshot of the night sky from the Peter Pan movie Tavros loved so much._

_“Second star,” Damara mumbled to herself as she leaned forward and placed her finger on the correct star and a click was heard before one of the book cases opened revealing a dark hallway. Damara looked down at her children and there was banging on the study door._

_“Shit.” Damara mumbled again. “Kids I need you to go down that hall, okay?” as she said that a gunshot was heard and the door flew wide open revealing a group of men wearing black and purple outfits. The kids screamed in fear and confusion._

_“Mama, what’s going on?” Aradia shouted staring at them men with their guns._

_“Aradia, Tavros the hallway now!” Damara shouted as she helped them to their feet and she pushed them through the opening. “It’ll be alright, I love you, now run.” Damara shouted as she slammed the door. All Aradia and Tavros could do was sit in the tunnel in shock as they heard shouts then a gunshot, then their mother screamed and she sounded like she was in pain. Tavros’ eyes started welling up with tears._

_“M-mom?” Aradia got up and grabbed his hand. They both sprinted down the dark tunnel until they came to a room that looked like it was surrounded by all metal. There were two bunk beds and what looked like a radio and phone. Aradia guided her brother into the room and he closed the door figuring out how to lock it. Aradia picked up the phone and dialed 911._

_“D-d-do y-you think Mom’s gonna b-be okay?” Tavros asked his speech impediment and clattering teeth making it hard for him to talk. Aradia just stared at him her red-brown eyes full of fear and doubt. Tavros understood and climbed onto one of the bunks lying down and burying his face in the pillow to muffle his sobs.Aradia climbed in next to him and rubbed his back even though she was crying too. They don’t know how long they were down there, but they were scared and so confused. Once Rufioh came and got them they had cried themselves to sleep._

Tavros rolled on his side and curled into a fetal position, tears coming to his eyes. He wanted his family back, all of them. He went into a dreamless sleep.

~The next morning~

Tavros woke up to find his phone buzzing, he leaned over and saw that it was Aradia. Raising an eyebrow he answered his phone. “Hello?” he said his voice groggy.

“Oh, I’m sorry, were you asleep?” Aradia asked knowing Tavros could be an evil bastard when he was woken.

“I don’t remember, what do you want?” he asked trying to keep the irritation out his voice. “I know you and Grandpa San are going to see dad.”

“Dammit Kanaya!” Tavros said. “No you can’t come!” he added quickly.

“Hey, I have just as much right to see him as you.” Aradia said knowing that he was going to say.

“What about Gran?” Tavros asked, knowing there was no way their grandmother would allow to send the “good” kid to see her dad in prison.

“What she doesn’t know won’t kill her… however…”

“Don’t say that.” Tavros chastised her. “If you really want to do this then you’re going to have to talk to grandpa.” He told her.

“No problem, I’m pretty sure he’ll say yes.” Before he could question what she meant he heard the doorbell ring.

“Your outside aren’t you?”

“Maybe.” He could hear her smirking. He sighed dramatically and hung up. He decided to get out of bed and get ready.

Meanwhile downstairs, Aradia and Santos were hugging and laughing.

“Ah, you look so much like your mother, and your performance last night was breath taking.” He said looking into Aradia’s face. She beamed up at him.

“Can I please come with you and Tavros to see dad? Please, I really want to.” Santos gripped her arms and stared into her reddish brown eyes.

“You know why we can’t do that. It’s bad enough you’re father’s enemies found out about Tavros, prison is full of people who he put away. Information travels from those walls.”

“Please, I barely ever got to see him without Gran getting in the way.” Aradia then proceeded to give her grandfather the best pouty face in all of paradox space. Santos’ eyes went wide as he stared at her face. Hey eyes begging and her bottom lip quivering like she was five seconds away from unleashing the waterworks. She just wanted to see her daddy, what kind of monster would deny her that? After a few moments he caved.

“Alright, you can come please put those big eyes away.” Aradia relaxed her face into a grateful smile and gave him a hug.

“Thank you! I’m going to go get Tavros and then we can leave.” She said as she rushed up the stairs.

“Wait, are you going to carry him down?” he shouted up at her.

“Yep!” came her reply. She bounded over to Tavros’ room, but before she could knock she saw Equius come out of his room further down the hall. Upon noticing her he turned right back around and went back into his room. She frowned, he had been acting weird lately and Nepeta had told her how he had dashed off last night. That didn’t explain why he just made it a point to hide from her. She shrugged and knocked on Tavros’ door. Three times in a straight line, so he would know it was just her.

“Come in.” She opened the door and saw Tavros buttoning up a green and black flannel over a white shirt.

“I’m coming with you guys.” She said triumphantly. He just rolled his eyes and grabbed his crutches. He hobbled over to her and gave her a hug.

“So, I was thinking about mom last night… and I think we should go visit her too.” He said quietly.

“Yeah I guess you’re right.” She said sadly, then she brightened when she remembered something. “I bet dad will be happy to see you’re talking again.” She said. He smiled down at her, him being a few inches taller while she was a few minutes older.

“We still need to get our matching tattoos on our birthday.” He said as they left his room. She looked at him incredulously, she hadn’t forgotten, but she didn’t think he was still up for it.

“You aren’t completely done with needles?” she asked he looked down at her as they came to the top of the stairs.

“Not really.” He said messing with his septum piercing. She shrugged and gestured for him to get on her back. “Uhhh.”

“It’s my turn dammit just get on my back.”

“That’s what she said.” He said as he jumped on her back and she grabbed his thighs. He tucked the crutches under his arms and held on. How they got down the stairs safely was a mystery. Santos stared at them in amusement and snapped a picture with his phone.

“New wallpaper.” He said quietly to himself. His grandchildren were so cute. They all got into the family car and took an hour drive to the prison, chatting and catching up. Once they got there and were searched they were seated in a brightly lit room. They all sat down at a table and waited for Rufioh to be let in. Tavros and Aradia gripped each other’s hands not sure of what they expected to see. Did he have bruises, were there any broken bones? After what felt like a long time Rufioh finally stepped into the room.

“Hey everyone, how’s it going?” Rufioh said with a wide grin. His dark brown hair had lost the red tips and had grown out a little, and he looked like he had been working out. Despite the orange jumpsuit he looked like he was on vacation instead of in prison.

“Dad!” the twins said in unison. Aradia got up to hug him and Rufioh walked over and hugged Tavros half dragging Aradia. Santos watched in amusement as Tavros started talking excitedly to his father and Rufioh smiled fondly at the sound of his son’s voice. He watched as Tavros talked about how his new boyfriend had made Vriska come to the house and apologize, Aradia adding the details of the fight beforehand and then they both talked to him about the Spring Showcase.

“Wow it sounds like you two have been busy. I’m glad to see that you’re talking Tav. You wouldn’t happen to have video of your performances would you?” Rufioh asked.

“I do.” Santos answered. He pulled out his phone and looked through his video gallery he pulled up the video of Aradia and Sollux’s dance first. Rufioh stared at the screen with a grin on his face watching his daughter’s dance go from graceful and light to fast and passionate. He laughed at Tavros and Nepeta’s dramatic entrance but quieted down when he heard the singing. He never realized how talented his children really were and seeing that they were living better lives made him happy. They were growing up, and he was missing it.

“How’d you guys get so talented?” Rufioh asked.

“I just sort of woke up like this.” Tavros said causing the others to laugh. Santos regarded them with a grim expression and Rufioh noticed.

“What’s the matter?” he asked. Santos took a deep breath.

“I think we may have a lead on who was behind the attack on your home all those years ago.” The younger Nitrams’ expressions turned from shocked to deadly calm in a matter of seconds.

“What do you mean?” Aradia asked.

“I’ve been doing some research and pulling some strings. At the time of the attack there were three gangs in the L.A. area who were just starting out. The Scorpions, The Lost Boys and The Sea Kings. Back then the Lost Boys were on good terms with the Scorpions, right?” Rufioh nodded solemnly.

“While the Lost Boys focused more on drug trade the Scorpions’ main focus was embezzlement and selling things on the black market. However the Sea Kings main focus was smuggling. We have reason to believe that the leader wanted to take over the drug trade as well, but Rufioh had already gotten all claims to it in most of L.A. Ever since the attack however the Sea Kings have been quiet at least in California. I have an inside source who told me that most of their dealings have been happening near D.C.”

“So you think they just moved all that way to cover their tracks?” Tavros asked with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s exactly what I think happened. The leader of the Sea Kings, a man that’s known as Dualscar, has been reported to have moved back east. I had an informant contact me and tell me about the move. Something about the FBI being on their trail, so they thought coming back here would lead them off their scent. Now that the Lost Boys and The Scorpions are disbanded he’ll have a lot of room to start a new crime syndicate.“ Santos stated.

“So you think he’s the asshole who sent those guys that killed our mom?” Aradia asked her mask of calm faltering for a split second.

Santos sighed. “Yes, apparently it wouldn’t have been the first time, Dualscar is a ruthless man. Sadly we have no word on where he could be located, but we aren’t the only ones who are looking for him. The FBI has been following him around for years.” He let the information he gave them sink in. The room was quiet as the small family looked at each other.

“Thanks for the info pops that’s good to know.” Rufioh said with a dangerous glint in his eye.

“Remember we don’t have concrete proof, but I think in this case it’s not needed.” Santos said. A guard came into the room.

“Times up Ruf say your goodbyes.” He walked back out of the room and Rufioh turned to Tavros and Aradia.

“Take care of each other and stay out of trouble, okay?” the siblings nodded and gave their father a hug.

“I love you both very much.”

“We love you too.” The twins said in unison making Rufioh chuckle. Tavros and Aradia left the room while Santos stayed behind.

“Are you doing okay in here?” he asked in a serious tone.

“I’m doing fine, the food sucks, but I’m managing pretty well.” Rufioh said with a smile. Santos looked at Rufioh closely it didn’t look like he was suffering any physical damage.

“Are you at least allowed to go outside?”

“Yeah, I go outside all the time, and no we aren’t doing what you’re thinking. Once I get out of here I’m going on the straight and narrow. I’ve been taking some classes and I’m going to finally get my degree in business. I’ll get out when the system thinks I’m good and ready, understand?” Rufioh said standing his ground. Santos just smiled and patted him on the back.

“I understand and I’m proud of you.” With that the two hugged and Santos left Rufioh to join the teens who were chatting quietly.

“All right let’s get Tav to his appointment and you missy back to your grandmother before she gets suspicious.” The car ride to the physical therapy center was quiet as the teens had fallen asleep in the backseat of the car. Santos glanced at them from the rearview mirror before grabbing his phone. He searched through his contacts until he found the right number pressed the call button and waited for the other person to pick up.

“Hello sir.” came the voice of Horuss on the phone.

“Hello Horuss have you managed to find any new information on Dualscar?” Santos asked.

“I did manage to find something. His real name is Oliver Ampora and from what we’ve gathered it seems like he definitely was the one behind the attack. He also has two son’s one who is active with the gang’s activities and the other not wanting anything to do with it. If that would ever be of use to you?” he said quietly.

Santos mulled it over. “Maybe, but I don’t have any ideas right now. Just keep doing what you’re doing and I’ll keep in touch.” “Alright then sir, goodbye.” “Goodbye Horuss and be careful.” Santos hung up and pulled into the parking lot of the physical therapy center. He turned to shake Tavros awake and the teen sat up with a jolt.

“We’re here buddy. Do you have an idea of who’s going to come pick you up?” Tavros yawned and stretched before grabbing his crutches.

“I’ll call Gamzee.” He answered. Santos nodded and watched Tavros go into the building. Santos nodded and drove off once Tavros was inside. Aradia eyes shot open, and she spoke up startling Santos.

“So Horuss is you’re inside source huh?” Once Santos corrected the car and calmed down his racing heart he glared at her from the rearview mirror. “You were not supposed to hear that.” He scolded her. He sighed heavily as he focused on driving to the house.

“For right now Horuss is working with Ms. Pyrope to gather information, and my real inside man has been with the Sea Kings for about two months now.” Santos said. Aradia let that sink in. The rest of the ride was made in silence as Santos brought Aradia into the house.

“Before you go I have something to give you.” Santos said as he went to retrieve the package, but Arthour had grabbed it for him. Even though he’s a semi-present butler he knew when to show up at the right time. After all if he couldn’t assist a grandfather in giving his grand-daughter a deadly weapon, then what kind of butler would he be?

Santos thanked him and grabbed the red box with a bow on it. “I don’t think I’ll be able to see you and Tavros on your actual birthdays, and I know this is your favorite type of weapon so…” he trailed off and Aradia took the narrow box from him. She pulled off the lid and gasped as she looked at the silver chain link whip with a silver tip that had a sharpened edge. She pulled it out and marveled at how light it was she looked up at Santos and grinned.

“This is the best present ever! Thank you!” she hugged him.

“I’m glad you like it, but do you understand why I gave it to you?” Santos asked his expression serious. Aradia nodded.

“To protect myself at all times. I know Grandpa and don’t worry I’ll do my best to protect Tavros until he gets better. I, Aradia Consuela Megido-Nitram accept the responsibility of protecting my baby brother!” She said her speech getting more and more dramatic as she went on. Santos and Arthour glanced at each other with exasperated expressions on their faces.

“Okay I wasn’t expecting all that, but you get the general idea.” Santos said as she calmed down.

“Okay I’ll leave now before Gran starts calling and asking questions.” She hugged him one last time and went back out to her car. Santos waved as she exited the driveway. He was so glad that the mystery was going to be solved soon he went back inside to make a few phone calls.

~Let’s see what Tavros is doing~

Tavros pulled himself out of the pool and looked up at his physical therapist, a big gruff man who despite his size had a gentle smile. “Good work today kid, you’re improving and moving on like a champ.” He said patting Tavros on the back rather hard.

“Thanks.” Tavros said as the man handed him his crutches. Tavros went to take a shower and by time he was done he saw a text from Gamzee letting him know that he was in the parking lot. Tavros exited and got into Gamzee’s car. Gamzee grinned at him.

“Look at you all up and moving around. How’d things go with your dad?” Tavros buckled himself into the seat and leaned back.

“It was great, he looks good and he’s doing good, as far as I can tell anyway. So you ready for tonight?”

“Hell yeah motherfucker, I’m all prepared to get my hang on with you.”

“And we’re going to finish our conversation from last night?” Tavros asked.

“Yeah, I’ll tell you all about the unmiraculous shit that went down.” Gamzee said his smile slipping significantly. Tavros stared at him for a few moments he had a question that had been on his mind since his grandfather talked about the Sea Kings.

“Hey Gam, you guys moved out here right after Christmas day right?” Gamzee glanced at Tavros from the corner of his eye confused.

“Yeah my dad’s boss sent him out here because of a case or something. We actually used to live in Sacramento before we moved to D.C. We lived there for at least seven years. Why do you ask, babe?” Tavros gnawed on his bottom lip in thought trying to piece together the puzzle he created in his head. He decided that he shouldn’t keep secrets from Gamzee secrets did not make your loved ones safe. As had learned the hard way he shook his head before he started remembering again.

“My grandpa gave us some info on a gang leader who might’ve been responsible for the death of me and Aradia’s mother.” Gamzee turned his head to look at him.

“Wha-“

“Aradia and I are fraternal twins, when we were ten our old house got ransacked by some guys who were sent to kill us. Our mom got us out, but they shot her and she bled to death. That was the day we found out about dad’s career. We were separated so that Aradia wouldn’t be involved and put in danger. Our dad had us both do martial arts training so that we could protect ourselves. Grandpa said that the FBI had been investigating the Sea Kings as well. I figured that was why your dad was relocated here.” Tavros explained as Gamzee pulled up into the Nitram driveway.

The boys got out of the car and Gamzee processed the information he had just received as he grabbed his bag from the back. Tavros’ idea made sense, maybe Henry had been working that case. They boys got inside the house and almost ran into Equius who was holding hands with… well Tavros wasn’t sure, he actually never met this guy before. Gamzee on the other hand tensed up in horror.

“Oh, Tavros, Gamzee fancy meeting you here.” Equius said nervously. Tavros raised an eyebrow at him.

“Well I have lived in the same house with you for a few years now, we’d have to see each other every once in a while. So who’s your friend?” he asked studying the guy standing next to his god brother.

He had a light tan with blonde hair that stood up straight with what must have been a heavy amount of product. There was a streak of purple where his bangs should be and it nearly matched the color of his eyes which sat behind thick rimmed glasses. He was wearing a white button down shirt and light wash skinny jeans and light blue high tops. Before any introductions could be made Equius pushed his guest out the door quickly causing the other boy yelped in shock.

“IhavestufftodoI’llseeyoutwolaterbye!” Equius said hurriedly as he rushed out the door slamming it shut.

Tavros stood there in confusion and Gamzee’s mind was racing a mile a minute. ‘No, no, no, no! That had to of been someone else. It had to, because if that’s the motherfucker I think it is then that means…’

“Gam, are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Tavros said rubbing Gamzee’s back.

“I think I’m gonna be motherfucking sick.” Gamzee said. He grabbed Tavros and rushed up the stairs hurriedly. Tavros yelped in surprise but allowed himself to be carried to his room where Gamzee deposited him on the bed and then rushed to the bathroom. Tavros watched in concern as his boyfriend retched into the toilet. When Gamzee was done he flushed the toilet and went over to the sink to gulp down some water. He plopped down on the bed next to Tavros.

“This can’t be motherfucking happening!” Gamzee groaned.

“Gamzee who was that and why are you so worked up?” Tavros asked stroking the ravenette’s head.

“That was Eridan Ampora and I used to date his older brother Cronus. If he’s here then so is his brother.” Tavros stared at him slightly confused. He could tell that there was a lot he didn’t understand.

“Was he the one you were trying to talk about last night?” Gamzee nodded tears forming his eyes as horrible memories came into his mind. Tavros shifted so that he had Gamzee’s head in his lap. He let Gamzee cry it out as he continued stroking his hair.

“I was only a freshman and I had just discovered I was gay. He was so nice at first, but as time went on he started getting angry about every little thing I did. I was so eager to please that I let him control me, but then he wanted to take things further and I told him no.” Gamzee wiped away a tear which smeared his face paint but he didn’t notice.

“Then as time went on he just got angrier, and he told me that if I didn’t put out he’d kill me. I didn’t believe him until he pulled out his gun and he fucking fired at me. He just forced himself on me anyway.” He leaned on his side and curled into the fetal position around Tavros. “It hurt so fucking much, and the things he said to me were horrible. I tried to break up with him afterwards, but he came to our fucking house and Kurloz was pissed and they got into a fight he ended up hitting Cronus in the head pretty hard, but not before he cut up Kurloz’s neck. That’s why he can’t talk, because of me and my dumb ass.” Gamzee pressed his face into Tavros’ abdomen Tavros continued to rub Gamzee’s back. He sang to him softly and rocked him back and forth.

After a few minutes Gamzee had stopped crying and Tavros’ voice had lulled him to sleep. There was a knock on the door and Santos poked his head in, his expression sullen he had been listening. Tavros regarded him with inquisitive eyes.

“Later we need to talk. There are a lot of things happening around here.” Tavros nodded and Santos left. Tavros leaned back and grabbed the remote to his TV making sure he didn’t wake Gamzee.

‘I’ll never let anything bad happen to him again.’ He thought as he looked at Gamzee’s calm sleeping face.


	12. Friends in High Places

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Wide Awake  
> By: Katy Perry

Gamzee woke up some time later and Tavros suggested that he eat something so that he could feel better. Gam complied although it was fairly obvious that he was in a foul mood. Tavros didn’t say anything about it as the two sat at the dining table as Jane made them some spaghetti. “Okay, I better be heading home now and make sure nothing’s on fire. I’ll see you boys later.” She grabbed her keys and her purse and was about to leave when she remembered something. “There are desserts in the fridge try not to get sick.” And with a wink she left through the door to the garage and went home.

“She’s John’s older sister right?” Gamzee asked between mouthfuls of pasta.

“Yeah, their whole family has a thing for cooking or baking. Well except for John he hates baking with a passion.” Tavros said with a chuckle. Gamzee nodded and the front door was opened and Equius came into the kitchen, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the two. Tavros spoke up first.

“Hey there buddy, why don’t you join us for dinner? Jane made spaghetti~” he said as he lifted up his plate of half eaten pasta. Equius looked from Tavros to Gamzee a nervous energy surrounding him. Finally he sighed and grabbed a plate sitting down and removing his shades. He stared at Gamzee for a moment their eyes meeting Gamzee with anticipation and Equius with urgency.

“I am so sorry about earlier. He explained what happened and had I known I would’ve kept him from coming here. I can assure you he won’t say anything.” Equius finally blurted out and as he spoke his words came out faster and it looked like the effort was killing him. Gamzee just sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“It’s fine Equius, Eridan didn’t have it that good either and in a way he was my friend. I know he won’t say anything to Cronus, but even if he did, I don’t think I’m scared of him anymore. I ain’t exactly the over eager freshman I used to be.” Equius nodded and started to eat his spaghetti the three sat chatting about school and the latest gossip on their friends.

“So any word from Nepeta on how things went with you-know-who?” Tavros asked.

“No, I was rather preoccupied at the time.” Equius stated sheepishly.

“Oh, really?” came the voice of Santos as he entered the kitchen. They boys jumped in their seats a little at the older man’s intrusion. Santos sat down at the table with them and stared at Equius no real emotion on his face. The intensity of his stare bore holes into Equius’ soul and he started to sweat out of nervousness. “So did you learn anything?” Santos asked. Tavros glanced from Gamzee to Equius to his grandfather, feeling left out of the loop for some reason. “Not really, I didn’t want to be too obvious.” Equius said quietly. Gamzee stared at the two for a moment before the light bulb went off in his head causing his jaw drop in horror.

“Are you using him?!” Gamzee shouted looking accusingly at Equius.

“No, I swear this literally just happened today. I met him three weeks ago, how was I supposed to know who he was?” Equius defended with his hands up.

“Can someone explain to me what exactly the fuck is going on?” Tavros said only understanding bits and pieces.

“Alright everyone just calm down.” Santos said Gamzee sat back down and Tavros rubbed soothing circles on his leg under the table. “Okay first, Tavros while you were passed out in the car Horuss informed me of the true identity of Dualscar, his name is Oliver Ampora. Gamzee I’ve contacted your father to let him know what we have found. He looked him up and found records on him and his family. Needless to say he was pissed off at how close he was to shutting the Sea Kings down in D.C.” he walked over and placed a hand on Equius’ shoulder. “No, Equius is not using the younger Ampora boy, if anything we want to protect him since he wants nothing to do with the Sea Kings.” Gamzee still couldn’t look at Equius.

He was mad at himself for having had anything to do with the very criminals his dad made him move around for, but Eridan had been a friend. At one point he tried to help him with his problems, but it had back fired.

“So what’s the plan Grandpa Nitram? You planning anything soon?” Gamzee asked taking another bite of spaghetti. Santos thought about it for a moment.

“So far the plan is to see if there’s a good opportunity to shut the Sea Kings’ operation down.”

“Okay, but where will that leave Eridan?” Tavros asked.

“Well he has no one he can call family here and he only just turned 17 so chances are that he’d be a ward of the state.”

“What if we could let him stay with us, and like not get the motherfucking police involved? He doesn’t deserve to be bounced from foster home to foster home even if it is for a year. A lot of shit can happen in a year.” Gamzee said. The other teens nodded.

“Well that is something the adults will have to discuss, but we will talk about it. We will also let you all know when a date is set for us to take down Dualscar, that way Eridan does not have to be caught in the cross-fire. Now are there any more questions?” Santos said, the boys just shook their heads. “Good, now let’s move on to something else.” As he said this he went to the cabinets under the sink and brought out three boxes. He came back to the table and set the stack of boxes down the top box was small and silver he handed it to Equius. The next box was medium sized and was green and black he handed that one to Tavros. The last one was rectangular and the biggest was purple with bright white polka dots on it he handed that to Gamzee.

“I love getting late Birthday/Christmas presents.” Gamzee said with a greedy look in his eye. The other boys just frowned at him, he stuck his tongue out.

Equius opened his box and gazed down at the pair of brass knuckles that sat on a cushion of cotton. He picked them up and examined them in slight awe. The notched squares were engraved with the sign for Sagittarius and Equius tried them on and he smiled at how well they fit. He looked up at Santos. “Thank you, this is great.” Santos nodded with a smile. Tavros opened his box next and he took out a black and red weapon that resembled a jouster’s lance only shorter there was a silver tip that was sharpened to a point. The grin on Tavros’ face was devilish, he smiled up at Santos.

“Thank you.” He said simply, Santos nodded. Gamzee gulped as he looked down at his box now knowing he could expect a weapon of some kind. “Wait this ain’t some kind of initiation ritual is it?” Gamzee asked sort of joking sort of concerned.

“No this is how we propose to each other. Just open the box, geez.” Tavros said rolling his eyes. Equius snickered for a second, but stopped at Gamzee’s glare. It didn’t stop him from grinning. The clown took a deep breath and opened his box revealing a pair of what looked a lot like juggling pins. They were black with purple stripes going around the middle. He picked one of them up feeling that they were weighted like metal baseball bats and the handle had a leather grip. Gamzee had to admit to himself that he really liked this gift. He jumped up from his seat and tackled Santos who was caught slightly off guard, but hugged the boy back anyway.

“Thanks Grandpa Nitram, these are motherfucking awesome!” Santos smiled. “I’m glad you all like them, but be warned boys a war is coming and you never know what could happen.” He said seriously. The boys nodded, and his expression softened. “Alright, have a good night boys.” He left to go upstairs.

The boy’s all stared at each other. Tavros spoke up first. “So, you guys wanna watch a movie?”

~That following Monday~

Henry was walking down the hallway that led to a private room. He hadn’t planned on doing this until Friday night and he knew that it was going to bother him the more he waited. So now he was at the prison waiting to speak with Rufioh Nitram for the first time. He had met everyone else he might as well. He took a seat at the table in the center of the room and waited. He stared out the window and was spacing out until he heard the door open. He turned around to see Rufioh standing in the door way looking at him with curious eyes.

“Um, hi?” Henry said awkwardly.

Rufioh came closer and sat down, still confused, but it was nice to have visitors. “Hi there, and what’s your name my good sir?” Rufioh said as he sat down. Henry was slightly taken aback by this guy’s relaxed state, seriously though was he in prison or on vacation?

“I’m Henry Makara, member of the FBI, and the father of your son’s boyfriend.” Henry said simply. Rufioh just nodded in understanding.

“Alright so are you here on FBI business or parental business?”

“A mix of both. I wanted to tell you that we are getting closer to the Sea Kings’ hideout and we will get all of them off the streets and justice will be served.” Henry said. Rufioh just gazed at him an unreadable expression on his face. “With all the things he’s done he’ll be here for life with no chance of parole. We have several sources that say that he keeps extensive records on all his dealings. This includes the order to attack your house and the killing of your wife.”

“Okay.” Rufioh said rather tiredly. “Wanna talk about our kids now?” Henry frowned, he was expecting more enthusiasm.

“Aren’t you glad that this is getting resolved?” Rufioh sighed.

“I beat myself up about Damara and what my kids have been through every day. I just wish I could be out there so I could give the asshole a piece of my mind, with my foot, in his face and balls.”

Henry held back a laugh. “Well when he gets put in here then he’ll be all yours.” Rufioh looked at him and grinned maliciously.

“Yeah?’ “Yes, and we’ll make sure the warden turns a blind eye, so it won’t affect any chance you have for good behavior.” Henry said.

“Mr. Makara, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.” Henry chuckled. “So, your son and my son questions, comments, concerns. Lay it on me.”

“My main thing is that I just want Gamzee to be happy, this isn’t the first time he’s gotten with someone who… well...”

“Was raised by a criminal.” Rufioh finished for him. Henry nodded. “Don’t worry Gamzee’s in good hands. From what Tavros has told me he really cares about him, and he would never hurt someone he cares about.” Rufioh said leaning back. The older Makara nodded and the two conversed a little more.

~Lunch time at the school~

The gang sat at their usual table chatting away. Tavros was talking to Nepeta and Terezi telling them he was glad they had gotten together. “I’m happy for you two.” He said and the two just grinned at each other. Equius came up to the table with Eridan in tow. Tavros glanced at Gamzee who was staring at Eridan who was staring right back. There was a tension that you could cut with a knife. Eridan decided to cut the first slice.

“Hey Gam, long time no see.”

“Hi Eridan, it’s been forever motherfucker.” There was a collective sigh of relief. While not everyone knew what was happening it was obvious something was up. Karkat stared at Eridan with an unreadable expression. He wasn’t really willing to trust him just yet, but he just ignored him and went back to arguing with Sollux while John and Aradia talked about adventure movies. While everyone ate Gamzee stared at Eridan, he wanted to talk to him and make sure he was okay.

“Hey Eridan, mind meeting me after school today? I want to catch up.” Eridan looked up and nodded slowly.

“Yeah we can do that. Where do you want to meet?”

“Band room okay?” Gamzee asked. Tavros and Equius looked at each other, Tavros shrugged and nodded and Equius sat back in his seat. Everyone chatted away until the end of lunch when they went their separate ways. Tavros and Gamzee went into art class and sat at their spot in the back.

“So what do you want to talk to Eridan about?” Tavros asked. “Nothing motherfucking bad, just catch up and make sure he’s doing okay. Since he didn’t want anything to do with the family business he doesn’t really have it easy. I guess that’s why he was always nice to me he knew how brutal Cronus could be. He helped a lot I just wish I had realized what was going on sooner, I always thought his dad worked with a bank or some shit.” He said putting his head down on the table. Tavros ran a hand through Gamzee’s hair.

“Investigating a crime lord wasn’t your job, you couldn’t have known and there was probably no way in Hell he would’ve told you. It sounds bad, but if everyone knew about their friend’s criminal parent they wouldn’t have friends anymore, or they would always be hassled for drugs, or worse they could get ratted out.” Gamzee looked at Tavros’ face his eyes landing on his scar, he still thought that Tavros was beautiful not just in looks but in personality as well. In the span of a few months he had gone through Hell and was recovering. There were a few hard times and he still got nightmares, but his cravings had been under control. There was never any bitterness towards his dad just sadness. Even though he had his own problems he still helped Gamzee with his.

“Tav, you’re amazing don’t ever forget that.” Gamzee said, Tavros just blushed at the sudden compliment. “So you want to go out after school? We missed Valentine’s but better late than never right?” Tavros asked with a smile.

“I’d motherfucking love to Tavbabe.”

“Okay after you talk to Eridan come meet me in the music room.” Gamzee nodded and they worked on the next assignment talking and joking the whole time. Once the last period bell rang and Gamzee waited for Eridan outside of the band room. Eridan came up to him and the two just stared at each other, neither were sure where to start.

“So how have you been?” Gamzee asked. “I’ve been alright, this move was kind of sudden, but I have no say in the matter.” Gamzee just nodded in understanding.

“When did you guys move here?” Gamzee asked.

“Sometime after New Year’s.” Gamzee nodded again, rubbing the back of his head. This was more awkward than he thought it would be.

“So look, I don’t know if Equius has told you, but we’ve got a lot of people hunting for your dad. My dad is one of them, and um, well I don’t want anything to motherfucking happen to you so we were wondering if you would want to stay with us for a while. We don’t have all the details, but it could happen real motherfucking soon. You’d be staying with Equius and Tavros, so what do you say? ” Eridan stared at Gamzee for a moment.

“Gam, I don’t know if I can take you up on that. They’ll ask questions. I don’t want Cro finding out that you’re here. He’s still severely fucked up and seeing you again is going to send him over the edge. I can try, but it’d be best if you stayed away from me at school where Cro could see you since he’s the one who always picks me up.” Eridan looked down at his gold watch. “Shit I need to go, but I’ll think about it okay.” And with that he scurried off. Gamzee watched him go with a frown.

Gamzee walked around the school looking for the Music room where Tavros was working on a class project. As he got closer he could hear a familiar song being played on a piano, as he got closer to the room he looked through the crack in the door. He smiled seeing that Tavros was the one playing the song. He listened as Tav sang along to the melody.

 **“Falling from cloud nine, crashing from the high. I’m letting go tonight, I’m falling from cloud nine. Thunder rumbling, castles crumbling I am trying to hold on. God knows that I try seeing the bright side, I’m not blind anymore.”** As Tavros sang tears fell from his closed eyes, completely lost in the song.

Gamzee watched in silent admiration, the passion on Tavros’ face and in his voice let Gamzee know that this was more than just a project this was a way for Tav to vent. As he belted out Ms. Perry’s soul crushing song and brought it to its end Tavros’ tears stopped flowing and once the song ended he open his brown eyes. Gamzee noted how there was a sadness in them that definitely had a source. Entering the room Gamzee applauded his boyfriend who he startled so bad he almost fell off the piano bench.

“Gah, Gam don’t do that.” Tavros said as he clutched a hand to his heart still lying down on the bench from when he toppled over. Gamzee laughed and walked over to Tav kissing his nose.

“Sorry didn’t mean to up and give you a motherfucking heart attack.” He said still grinning like the Cheshire cat. “You don’t look sorry.” The Taurus said with a pout and he crossed his arms over his chest gazing up at the Capricorn.

“Want me to make it up to you?” Gamzee asked wriggling his eyebrows. Tavros blushed, but that wasn’t what he wanted Gamzee to do for him.

“Yeah you can get me some ice cream.” He said simply. “I want ice cream, I want ice cream, I want ice cream!” Tavros chanted in a whiny voice mimicking a child. Gamzee rolled his eyes.

“Alright I’ll get you some motherfucking ice cream, anything else you want Mr. Whiney Pants?” “Carry me?” Tavros asked holding his arms up. Gamzee huffed in mock annoyance. “Fine”

“Yay!” Tavros cheered as he got on Gamzee’s back.

“You always get what you want don’t you?” Gamzee asked. Tavros just giggled and the two made their exit and went to the ice cream shop. While sitting at a table with their bowls of ice cream Gamzee and Tavros discussed their plans for the future.

“Seriously Tav, if you still love music so much you should try to get out there again. You’ve got the talent and everyone knows it, I think you’d be great.” Gamzee said looking Tavros in the eye.

“I’ve been thinking about it and I think I should try again. I missed singing and performing. I just wish I knew if I’d at least be able to dance again.” Tavros said staring down at his sundae. He hadn’t talked about it but he missed being able to dance as well.

“The bullet hit your muscle, right?” Tavros nodded. “Well when you heal up some more can’t you try again, but like just go motherfucking slow?” Tavros shrugged and took another spoonful of ice cream contemplating Gamzee’s words.

“I guess I’ll just have to check with my doctor next time I see him. Hey, can I try some of your ice cream?”

“Sure babe.” Gamzee got a spoonful of his ice cream with caramel toppings. Tavros leaned over the table and grabbed the spoon with his mouth. He smiled his lips still holding the spoon. He opened his eyes and saw that Gamzee was staring at his mouth intensely. Gamzee was blushing so hard that it was noticeable through the face paint. Tavros released his hold on the spoon and watched as it clattered to the table top. Gamzee’s hand had gone slack.

“Earth to Gamzee!” Tavros said snapping his fingers in Gamzee’s face breaking the clown’s stupor.

“Wha, oh sorry. I was just thinking about, uh, birds?” Tavros stared at him with ‘really dude’ expression.

"Yeah, and bees." he said taking spoonful of French Vanilla and rolling his eyes.

‘Aw damn, motherfucking subject change!’ Gamzee thought to himself. “So that song earlier, who was it about?” Gamzee asked.

“It’s not really about anyone. The point of the project is to express a time when you felt a lot of sadness. That song came to mind while I was at the hospital and in rehab, and just one of the songs I listened to the most during that time. It was about no one and everyone, about how I felt after my secret was revealed, and found out who my real friends were. Who actually loved me…” he trailed off. Gamzee grabbed his hand and Tavros looked back up at the soft and loving smile Gamzee was showing him. They laced their fingers together and Tavros smiled back.

“I’m glad I met you.” Tavros said quietly the two leaned closer together and kissed. It was quick, but it got the point across.

“I love you.” Gamzee said still smiling.

“I love you, too.” Tavros said back. They went back to finishing their ice cream. Gamzee's phone vibrated and he saw that he was being pestered by a name he hadn't seen in a long time.

caligulasAquarium: I wwant to take you up on that offer.

terminallyCapricious: OkAy We’Ll SeT tHiNgS uP mOtHeRfUcKeR

Gamzee looked back up and Tavros was looking at him. “You’re going to be having a new house guest. Eridan’s going to stay.” Tavros nodded in understanding. The boys got up from their table Tavros grabbing his crutches and they left to go get Tavros’ house ready for Eridan.


	13. Calm Before the Storm

Eridan Ampora had being staying at Tavros’ home for a whole two days, and tensions were high. Everyone knew that the day where Dualscar and the rest of the Sea Kings were going to be dealt with once and for all was coming up. The only problems were that Eridan was super nervous and he had a feng shui problem. He had rearranged the living room, Kanaya’s bedroom (which she actually liked) and Equius’ bedroom. Tavros understood his frustration and was just glad Eridan hadn’t tried to rearrange his room. The boys made sure to stick together at all times when at school and when someone wanted to go out. Eridan hadn’t told his family exactly who he was staying with just a friend who wanted to be able to rehearse a lot for the upcoming show. Which was true as he Gamzee, and Tavros had all landed roles in the school’s upcoming musical. It served as the only distraction from the upcoming battle that was ahead.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay seeing your ex again? Assuming we even go to the raid, which I’m sure we are because Grandpa gave us those weapons for a reason.” Tavros said as he and Gamzee sat on his bed. They were helping each other memorize lines and Tavros was going to help Gamzee with his songs.

“Trust me Tav, I’ll be motherfucking fine. If I even see that asshole I’ll bash his motherfucking skull in.” Gamzee said as he stared at his clenched fist. Tavros looked at him with worry he placed his hand on Gamzee’s fist. Gamzee lifted his eyes and looked at Tavros face the brown orbs sending him a message loud and clear. ‘Don’t let your emotions get in the way.’ Gamzee nodded and the tense stare down ended.

“I just don’t want you doing something you’ll regret.” Tavros said quietly. Gamzee leaned forward and placed a kiss to Tavros’ forehead. “No, you’re right. I promise to be motherfucking careful.” Gamzee said as he lied down and yawned. “I’m motherfucking tired. The great thing about being the motherfucking Narrator is that I don’t have to sing as often as the rest of the cast.” Tavros rolled his eyes.

“You have two parts to play though, so you have to do the most work, well aside from the witch.” He lied down right next to the dozing clown. “I’m not worried I like the challenge. Your character was my favorite though I can see you singing to a cow.” At that he got a smack to the stomach.

“I’m hungry let’s get something to eat.” Tavros said sitting up. Gamzee jumped off the bed and let Tavros climb on his back before going down the stairs. “One more week Gamz. One more week then I can finally walk on my own.” Tavros said. As nice as it was to be carried around by his strong muscular boyfriend he really wanted to be able to move on his own again. “I can’t wait either Tav.”

“We can walk to places together like the beach, Hollywood Boulevard. It will be the first time we can actually hold hands.” Tavros said as he nuzzled his face in the back of Gamzee’s neck. Gamzee had stopped and turned his head to look at Tavros. He hadn’t realized that he and Tavros didn’t really hold hands that much, the fact that Tavros probably thought about it a lot made him feel bad. He smiled at the boy on his back.

“We’ll hold hands all motherfucking day babe.” The boys made it to the kitchen where Eridan was standing in front of the oven staring at the timer. He looked up at the two as they entered.

“Hey guys, I have a lasagna in the oven if you two want some.” He said with a smile. Eridan was still nervous about staying with the Nitram family, especially when he knew his dad was the reason Tavros had lost his mother. Tavros was about to express his gratitude when a loud voice cut him off.

“Something smells good! Whatever it is I’ll take it.” Aradia said as she came in from the garage door.

“What are you doing here so late?” Tavros asked.

“I told Gran that I was staying with you guys for a while. I want to take down the Sea Kings.” She said making a finger gun at Gamzee who raised his hands in surrender.

“Fine, fine sit down you dramatic diva.” Tavros said. Aradia stuck her tongue out at him and a small war brewed between the siblings. It ended with Aradia jumping Tavros and tickling his sides.

“Ahahaha! Why do you always go for the ribs? Ahahahaha!” Tavros asked breathlessly. Eridan and Gamzee just watched in amusement, but all the shenanigans stopped when Equius and Santos came in, Santos loudly cleared his throat. At this point Tavros was on the floor while Aradia was sitting on her haunches next to him. The two teens stopped once they noticed the serious look on Santos’ face and they scrambled to their seats.

“Dualscar is expecting… new cargo to come in sometime next week. That’s when the FBI plans on taking him down.” All the teens stared at him with grim expressions. They all had different ideas on what the ‘cargo’ could be. None of them liked the way it sounded.

“What should we do?” Tavros asked.

Santos sighed. “I don’t want you to do anything just stay home and stay safe. Porrim is going to stay with you. Horuss, Henry, and I are going to be overseeing the raid. Then this whole mess will be over.” The teens all nodded in understanding and Eridan pulled his lasagna out of the oven and started making plates for everyone. He sat next to Equius who gave his leg a very careful squeeze. Eridan smiled at him and everyone dug in complementing Eridan on his cooking skills.

Later that night everyone decided to set up in the living room and watched movies until they passed out. Santos came in and looked at all the sleeping teens. Aradia was snuggled between Tavros and Gamzee while Eridan was lying on his side using Equius’ stomach as a pillow on the other side of Tavros. He smiled at the sight and went into Rufioh’s unoccupied room. The next day the kids all went to school to meet with their friends before class starts. They felt that it was important to keep them informed even though half of them had no real part in Gangland. The group settled at an outside table.

“Equius, Gamzee, Aradia and I think it would be best that you didn’t hang around us for a while.” Tavros announced. By the tone in his voice everyone knew he meant business, it was also intimidating that he was sitting at the head of the table with an expressionless face and Gamzee, Aradia, Equius and Eridan were standing behind him looking somber. “Of course we can’t avoid each other at school, especially because most of us are in the upcoming play, but outside of school it’s not safe. My father’s branch of the gang has not been completely disbanded and my grandfather has taken temporarily hold on the gang reforming it. They’ve already stopped a lot of the Sea Kings dealings and he still knows who Aradia and I are which is why it is especially not safe for you guys to be around the two of us.” He said staring at Sollux who immediately stood up in objection.

“Look I get that protection is what you care about, but why can’t I be with my own girlfriend but your boyfriend gets to have a lot of say in this? That’s not fucking fair Tav!” Sollux said getting in Tavros’ face. Tavros didn’t so much as flinch at Sollux’ outburst, he just leaned back already knowing what was about to happen. In a flash Aradia pulled Sollux away from her brother and slapped him. Not hard, but definitely not soft.

“First of all, Gamzee gets to stay because his dad’s involved with this as well. Second of all I want you to stay away from me so nothing happens to you, I may not have been raised by my father, but I am still his daughter. We don’t completely know what they’re capable of, but we know they won’t hesitate to take the life of anyone who’s important to us and they will kill a kid.” Sollux stared at her slack jawed.

He became sad and looked down at the ground. “I’m sorry. I should’ve known better.” He turned back to Tavros and apologized for yelling at him.

“It’s okay Sollux, in all honesty I don’t want Gamzee there either.” He said. Gamzee rubbed the nape of his neck with a frown on his face. Yeah he remembered the talk they had about it.

_“You know what, I want you stay at your house for a while.” Tavros said while he and Gamzee were lying on the beanbags on the floor. Gamzee turned to look at him with confusion. “What? Why motherfucker?” Tavros sat up and rolled on top of Gamzee to look him straight in the eyes. “I warned you about getting involved with me, high school bullies were one thing, but these are big time mafia gangsters we’re dealing with. Your dad made sure that you were prepared for emergencies, mine prepared me for war. I don’t want you getting caught in the crossfire.” Tavros’ brown eyes were smoldering. His serious tone was doing something to Gamzee that he liked, but those words weren’t doing anything for him._

_“It’s going to take a lot more than that to make me leave your side babe. Didn’t work the first time ain’t going to work this time.” He leaned his head up to press his lips to Tavros, but the Taurus pulled away._

_“I’m not asking. I don’t want you to get hurt or worse killed. These are heartless people who will not hesitate to hurt you or kill you if it meant proving a point.” Tavros said his body tensing with every word he said. Gamzee stared up at him, Tavros face was flushed and he was clenching his jaw. Gamzee reached up with and used is hand to brush his fingers against Tavros’ jaw. The usually delicate jawline looking sharper. Tavros’ burning gaze was still on Gamzee’s face._

_“Not going to motherfucking happen.” Gamzee sat up and flipped Tavros over so their positions were reversed. Tavros struggled until Gamzee put more of his weight on him. “Don’t you understand that I don’t want you to fucking DIE?! I’M TRYING TO SAVE YOUR LIFE YOU IDIOT! IT’S NOT SAFE ANY MORE, PLEASE!” Tavros started to struggle harder, but when he realized Gamzee had pinned him for good he stopped and stared at Gamzee’s face. With the clown make up on it was incredibly hard to read his expression. “Gamzee please this time take my advice and leave me to deal with my problems.” Tavros begged. Gamzee grinned a little and grabbed Tavros’ hand and placed it over his heart. Tavros stared up at Gamzee confused, but then his eyes widened as he looked at Gamzee’s love filled eyes. He could feel Gamzee’s heart beat it, but it felt off like it was missing a… oh. “Gam?” Tavros questioned._

_“Tavros I love you, every time I look at you, kiss you, any time I’m near you my heart loses its motherfucking shit. You are my top priority in life your problems are my problems. Not being with you will just make me worry like crazy. You still aren’t completely healed, what am I supposed to do if you get hurt again? The fact that its happened already drives me crazy and as long as I’m here I want to be there for you. There’s nothing you can say that will convince me to just stay back this time around.” He leaned down so that his and Tavros’ faces were so close together their noses were touching and Gamzee took advantage to nuzzle his nose with Tavros’. “Also, I think you should now that I motherfucking intend to be there for you until death do us part.” Gamzee whispered. Tavros’ eyes widened and a furious blush spread across his entire face. Gamzee noticed and couldn’t help but laugh his honking laugh and kiss Tavros on the nose then squeezed it making a ‘honk’ sound._

_Tavros sat up throwing the Capricorn off of him and he turned around to hide his burning face. “I hate you, why would you say that when I’m trying to be all stern and serious with you?” Tavros said felt the thin but strong arms wrap around his shoulders. Tavros huffed in annoyance, but leaned into the embrace._

‘I meant what I motherfucking said. I want to marry him.’ Gamzee thought to himself. The bell for first period rang and the group headed into the school building not aware that they were being watched. Eridan and Gamzee walked to the front of the school together. Equius and Tavros needed to stay at school for a little while longer. They decided that they would have just go home together and use the suggested buddy system.

“Do you really think Mr. Zahhak will be fine with dealing with me for a year? I mean I could get a place of my own. I have the money for it.” Eridan asked.

“Well I don’t know brother we just want to keep you away from the police. I guess once everything is said and done it’s all motherfucking up to you. None of us can up and stop ya.” Just as they were about to step off the curb a black car pulled up in front of them and a man stepped out. He had light brown hair that was slicked back a leather jacket over a white T-shirt and smiling purple eyes. He wore an easy expression, but he gave off an evil aura. The two scars on the left side of his fore head tipped Gamzee off as to who this man was immediately. Cronus Ampora was at their school. Gamzee scowled at the man he really didn’t feel an ounce of fear. Eridan’s eyes were wide with terror.

“Cro, what are you doin’ here. I told you and dad I was goin’ to be gone for at least two weeks.” Cronus just smiled at his little brother.

“What’s the matter squirt? I just wanted to make sure you were actually getting an education.” Cronus turned his gaze to Gamzee and his eyes lit up in malice. “Well, look at what the cat hacked up. Didn’t know you’d be here cockslut.” Gamzee clenched a fist. His clubs were in his backpack and he was about ready to bash Cronus’ head in.

“I’ve been trying to escape the stench of cheap cigarettes and motherfucking desperation.” Gamzee replied coldly. “What do you want asshole?”

“Well I wouldn’t mind taking you back, you know if you ask nicely.”

“I’d rather be burned at the motherfucking stake.” Gamzee replied sharply.

Cronus let out a long humorless laugh. “Looks like you gotten some back bone to you. But that’s enough fun an' games I want you two in the car now.” He said gesturing to the backseat.

“And if we decline motherfucker?” Cronus snapped his fingers and another man came out of the car much bigger than Cronus and the teens backed up. Gamzee reached into his pocket and tossed his keys to Eridan.

“Get my car!” he shouted and Eridan took off towards the parking lot, Cronus immediately took off after him but the bigger man and Gamzee stared at each other silently agreeing to fight. “Bring it motherfucker.” The man lunged and Gamzee side stepped out of his range. He took his backpack off and unzipped it quickly bringing out his clubs. He charged at the man and brought his clubs down on the back of the brute’s head. He fell immediately and Gamzee dashed off to find and help Eridan, but he was too late as he saw that Cronus was dragging Eridan’s limp body away from the car. “No!” Gamzee sprinted towards them but he was tackled to the ground and hit his head hard on the pavement.

His vision was going black and he felt nauseous, he passed out the last thing he heard was Cronus’ voice.“Let get them back to base. The games have begun.”

A few hours later Equius and Tavros came out of the front of the school to walk towards Equius’ truck. Tavros had his crutches in his hands but wasn’t using them. “Are you sure you should be doing that, you’re left leg might not be ready for that kind of weight.” Equius asked concerned.

“Are you saying I’m fat Zahhak?” Tavros asked.

“No, but you still need to have approval from all your doctors to make sure the muscle is healthy enough for that.” Tavros let out an exasperated sigh.

“Fine, I’ll use the dumb crutches.” Tavros said putting the crutches to use. The two walked to the truck and Equius checked his cell phone.

“That’s strange. Eridan hasn’t texted me to tell me he’s home.” Equius said furrowing his brows. Tavros took out his phone and saw that he didn’t have any messages or calls from Gamzee.

“That is weird. I’ll call Gamzee and see what-“ he stopped as he heard something fall to the ground looking down he saw It was Equius’ phone. Confused he stared up at Equius to see he was staring at something in the distance. “Eq, what’s wrong?” He tried to follow the Sagittarius’ gaze and when his eyes landed on a silver car he felt his throat close up. That was Gamzee’s car. “We need to get home, now!” Tavros said bringing Equius out of his trance.

They climbed into the car and Tavros dialed Santos’ number. “Hello?”

“They’ve got Gamzee and Eridan. It has to be them grandpa, they’ve started the war. We need to get to their hideout now!” Tavros said frantically into the phone. “Come to the house and get ready. I’ll let the others know.” Santos said hanging up. Tavros was seething he hadn’t felt rage like this ever. He was going to kill anyone who got in his path.


	14. Raging Bulls

Tavros burst through the front door marching angrily up the stairs without his crutches and his only support being the banister. 

“Tavros Takashi Nitram! Where the hell are your crutches?” Porrim yelled at him as he ascended.

“Don’t need them, they’ll just hold me back.” He yelled back. He entered his room and went to his closet. As he rooted through the closet he found a black container and opened the lid. Inside was the lance Santos gave him and a smaller silver briefcase. He stared at it contemplating whether or not he should take what was inside.

‘The love of my life is being held hostage by the man responsible for the death of my mother. Gamzee helped me with my problems and the result is him getting caught up in a gang war. I’ll kill anyone who stops me from saving him.’ With this new resolve he opened the case and pulled out a silver pistol. He loaded it and pulled out a black and orange leather jacket and put it on. He found his gun holster and put it around his waist. Placing the gun and lance in the pockets he stood up to grab a black motorcycle helmet.

He stood and turned to see Aradia standing in his doorway wearing a black and red jumpsuit her chain link whip wrapped around her waist. “Equius and I are ready when you are Grandpa said he’d meet us at the hideout. I’ve got the address and Eq has his car ready.” Tavros nodded and stood up, ignoring the pain he felt in his lower back.

“Let’s go.” He said and the siblings went downstairs to the garage. Aradia got in Equius’ car while Tavros strode over to his motorcycle, it had been a while and his license was temporarily suspended, but he didn’t care. Sticking the key in the ignition he revved his bike and followed Equius out of the garage and into the street, making sure he stayed on their trail.

~Meanwhile inside the Sea Kings’ hideout~

Blood was splattered all around the room, but no matter how many guys fell more just kept showing up. Gamzee was getting real motherfucking sick of these persistent motherfuckers. How many did he have to knock out before they got the hint? “Don’t motherfucking TOUCH ME!” he yelled. Finally he punched the last guy in the stomach and kneed him in the crotch. With a satisfied smirk he watched the man crumble with a pained groan.

Slow clapping resonated throughout the dark room Gamzee turned in the direction it was coming from immediately getting into a defensive stance. He was so mad that this had happened he needed to find Eridan and get out. The slow sarcastic clapping was getting on his last nerve. “Just come on out motherfucker, YOUR IRRITATING AS FUCK!” 

The clapping stopped and the figure came out to step into the light. Cronus looked around the room at all the semi motionless bodies, most of them groaning in pain. He let out a long impressed whistle. “Wow kid looks like you’ve toughened up over the years. Good to know.” He said as he walked over to Gamzee not bothering to step over any of the men on the ground.

Gamzee kept his guard up. ”Stay the fuck away from me you piece of shit.” He growled. Cronus took pause in his steps.

“Whoa now take it easy chief. I ain’t gonna do anything. I just want to chat is all. So, you got in with The Summoner’s kid huh? I would make a crack at how much you like ‘em rich, but you ain’t too bad off. Maybe you just like bad boys, huh?” Cronus said with a smirk while Gamzee just glared at him. “I have to say you sure know how to pick ‘em. Baby Nitram is easy on the eyes. Too bad about what happened to him. I’m sure he’s getting better what with you playing sexy nur-“ Cronus was silenced by being punched in the face. He stumbled back and tripped over one of the felled bodies.

“That’s enough from you.” Gamzee said as he walked over to Cronus and grabbed him by his shirt collar. “Where is Eridan?” he growled.

“With Pop, the old man wanted to have a word with him about fraternizing with the enemy.” As he spoke Cronus subtlety reached into his back pocket to pull out a Taser. “But don’t worry about the Guppy, you have other things to worry about.”

“What the motherfuuuuuuu-“ Gamzee was cut off mid-sentence as Cronus used the Taser on him and he collapsed to the ground. Cronus chuckled evilly as the big man from earlier came in to take Gamzee out of the room.

“Take him to the main lounge.” The big man nodded and carried Gamzee off. Cronus stared at the men on the ground some of them moaning and groaning in pain. “And get someone to clean these guys up! Geez, knocked out by a kid. Good help is so hard to find.” He grumbled as he left to see just how much trouble his little brother was in.

~Outside the Sea Kings’ hideout~

Tavros, Aradia, and Equius stood on the docks that housed the warehouse that was used to transport the Sea Kings’ merchandise. The trio was crouched behind a stack of wooden boxes as they hid from the foot soldiers that stood guard. Aradia pulled out a small device from a side pocket she had at her hip. She turned it on and used it to scan the crates in front of them.

“What does it say?” Tavros asked.

“They have some serious shit in here. Meth and...” she moved the device to the top crate and brought it back. “Angel Dust. They got some hardcore things here guys.” 

“Drugs along with the sex trafficking should be enough to get these guys locked up for a long time.” Equius stated.

“Only if we can get proof. Got your cameras?” Tavros asked. The others nodded. “Okay good. Hopefully Mr. Makara and Grandpa can get here soon. Now, let’s get in there.”

“Right.” Equius and Aradia said in unison. They split up Aradia going left and Equius going right while Tavros stayed put. Tavros kept his eyes trained on the entrance he planned on using there were three guards that stayed stationary while one rotated from the end of the docks to a crate that most likely held more drugs. Taking a deep breath he whistled a low tune. It attracted the attention of the guard closest to him and the man came over to investigate the sound. As he passed the crate Tavros firmly placed his hand over the man’s mouth and nose. The bigger man struggled but Tavros just wrapped his other arm around the man’s neck and squeezed. The man stopped struggling and fell limp in Tavros’ arms. Tavros gently dropped the body to the ground.

Turning back around he saw that the rotating guard had just left and it gave him a chance to move behind the next stack of crates. Looking around he saw a flash of red and knew Aradia was working her way to the door. The rotating guard came back but before Tavros could move he saw a flash of silver and saw the man lift off the ground and then fall back down on his stomach the wind was knocked out of him and he made no move to get up. Looking up he saw Aradia crouching on the stack of crates. She gave him a thumbs up and he nodded she jumped down from the crates and landed on the fallen man. The twins ran to the next set of crates and crouched down looking at the two remaining guards. 

“I wonder where Equius-“ Tavros was cut off as he heard pained grunts come from in front of them. They turned to watch as Equius threw an uppercut to the last man who was at the door to the warehouse. “Is.” Tavros finished with an exasperated expression.

They continued to watch as Equius’ brass knuckles gleamed under the light at the top of the door. His blue muscle shirt riding up his stomach revealing part of his six pack. “Wow, he’s pissed.” Aradia said with an impressed whistle. Tavros on the other hand was getting sick of watching his best friend beat the shit out of the last guard who was in fact a lot bigger than the other guys.

“DAMMIT EQ, JUST KICK HIM IN THE NUTS SO WE CAN SAVE OUR BOYFRIENDS!” Tavros shouted.

Both Equius and the man he was punching froze and looked at him. Tavros made a ‘go on’ gesture with an irritated expression. Equius turned back to the man who immediately looked panicked. With a swift kick he racked the man and as he fell he punched him in the face thoroughly knocking him out. Now that the coast was clear Aradia and Tavros came out from behind the stack of crates. 

Silently Tavros walked to the door and opened it. Looking inside he saw that the space was empty and he gestured for the others to follow. Once inside Tavros took out his gun.

“Okay. I’m going to look for Gamzee.”

“I’ll search for Eridan.”

“And I’m going to dig up some dirt on Dualscar’s past… activities. I’m also going to see if I can find Grandpa’s inside source.”

With their plan laid out the teens separated Tavros went left, Equius went right and Aradia went up. She used her whip to climb to the top railing of a platform that led to the second floor.   
Tavros sneaked along the walls making sure to stay in the shadows. As he came to a corner he stopped at the sounds of voices coming towards him. Pressing himself into the wall he stood still and focused his hearing.

“Did you see the damage that juggalo kid did to the guys?” asked a feminine voice.

“Yeah he took down at least ten of them until Cronus got to him.” Said another woman.

“Apparently Cronus used to date him. I bet he wants to have some fun with the poor boy.” Said the other voice. He saw that it belonged to a short blonde woman and the other voice belonged to a tall brunette. Both wearing obnoxiously short dresses.

“I wish I could sympathize like you.” Said the brunette with an indifferent tone.

“How could you not?” The blonde asked in shock. “He’s just a kid and from what I’ve heard Cronus has hurt him before.”

“Tch, yeah well I guess that just makes him part of the club. Besides I’m more worried about the Lost Boy’s showing up.” The brunette said.

“What, why? I thought they were disbanded.” The blonde asked.

“Nah, they ain’t broken up. They’ve reformed and are working with the cops now. Ever since the incident with the Summoner’s kid they’ve turned a new leaf. Speaking of which isn’t that clown boy seeing Summi’s kid?” 

Tavros decided now was as good a time as any to reveal himself. “Yes he is.”

The two women turned around stunned to see Tavros standing there. “Holy shit. You’re him.” The brunette said in awe.

“Yes I am and I want my boyfriend back. Do you ladies know where I can find him?” he asked politely.

The blonde spoke up. “He was taken into the main lounge. You go down this hallway make a left at the second hallway on the right there’ll be a door.” She explained cheerfully.

Tavros smiled. “Thank you. Also are you two here against your will?” He asked looking serious. The two women nodded and the air around them became subdued. “Don’t worry help is coming, but I suggest you get yourselves and any others somewhere safe. Things are going to get nasty later.” The women nodded their heads and left in the direction Tavros had come from. 

Tavros followed the directions the blonde woman had given him until he came to the door he pressed his ear to the door. He didn’t hear any voices which made him relieved and unsettled. Opening the door he saw that the room was actually more of a bedroom than a lounge. He walked in and saw that the room’s theme was something similar to what you’d find in the honeymoon suite at a cheap hotel, heart shaped bed included. Tavros stuck out his tongue in disgust, man this room was tacky. ‘You can bitch about the décor later.’ He told himself as he focused the figure lying on the bed. 

He reached down and rolled the figure on its back revealing that the figure was in fact Gamzee. Letting out a small sigh of relief Tavros took this opportunity to check Gamzee for injuries. He saw that the clown’s knuckles were bruised and scabbed with dried blood. “Gamzee wake up. Come on, we need to get you out of here.” He said shaking the sleeping boy. Gamzee started twitching and rolled over.

“Ugh, Tav I don’t wanna go to school.” Gamzee mumbled as he opened his eyes looking dazed. Tavros pouted and put his hands on his hips. They both stared at each other, Tavros was trying to give Gamzee time to get his bearings and that’s exactly what the Capricorn was trying to do. After a few seconds of staring at each other Gamzee finally jumped up and hugged Tavros who immediately returned the hug. 

“Oh thank God.” Tavros whispered. They separated and Tavros took a better look at Gamzee’s face. His face paint was mostly gone the scars on his face were visible. “Are you hurt anywhere?” Tavros asked.

“Just my hands and my hip.” Gamzee responded. 

“That’s good.” Tavros said sweetly, before his expression changed to anger. Gamzee saw this and before he could say anything Tavros started hitting him reproachfully. “Estupido, estupido, estupido!” Tavros shouted. “I will always stay by your side. I'm not worried.” He said mockingly before he went back to hitting Gamzee again. “Estupido!”

“Ow, ow Tav I’m sorry I was wrong.” Gamzee shouted shielding himself. Tavros let up with his slapping and put his hands up signaling that he was done. Gamzee put down his arms and Tavros slapped him on his leg one last time. 

“Dummy.” The Taurus murmured as he turned around to face the door.

“Yeah, but you love me.” Gamzee said as he got off the bed and wrapped his arms around Tavros’ waist.

“Yeah I do, a lot.” Turning around Tavros pecked Gamzee on the lips. “Come on we need to check on Equius and Aradia. Plus the FBI should be here soon.”

“Don’t have to tell me motherfucking twice.” They left the room and searched further down the maze of hallways.

“Do you know where Eridan is?” Tavros asked.

“No all I know is that his dad’s motherfucking pissed at him. What’s Arasis doing here?” Gamzee asked.  
“Getting evidence for when Dualscar goes to trial. She also wants to find Grandpa’s informant.”  
Tavros stopped and pulled Gamzee to the nearest wall and they stayed in the shadows. They heard footsteps coming towards them. Tavros raised his gun in case he needed to use it. The footsteps got faint and soon they heard nothing. Gamzee sighed in relief. They made their way to the hallway they heard the footsteps go down.

They found that the hallway lead to a balcony that over looked a foyer. In that foyer stood Oliver “Dualscar” Ampora who was looking down at Eridan who was laying on the ground a small pool of blood coming out of his mouth. Tavros and Gamzee froze and stared down in horror at the scene.

“That was for your insolence boy. I respected your request to be left out of the gang’s activities, but to know that you’ve not only been staying at that man’s house. Unacceptable!” Dualscar growled.

Eridan tried to get up but stopped as he clutched his side with a pained groan. Tavros felt a drop of something fall on his shoulder. Looking up he saw Equius was hanging in the beams in the ceiling. He watched as Equius, as carefully as he could, shimmied down the beams to land next to Gamzee.

“I need to get down there.” Equius whispered. Tavros nodded and took a deep breath. He put his gun back in his holster to pull out his lance.

“Stay here.” He whispered. The other two backed up into the shadows and watched as Tavros sneaked behind the group of men who were watching the spectacle. He grabbed the man in the back of the group and sneaked his hand over the man’s mouth and nose as he stabbed into the man’s hip. The man fell to the ground looking up at Tavros with wide eyes. The other men didn’t notice they were too busy watching Eridan try to stand throwing taunts out to him. Tavros took the opportunity to lean down and whisper something to the man who nodded frantically.

Gamzee watched on in horror as he saw his sweet boyfriend stab all the other men straight through their chests some dying instantly others choking on their own blood. Oh God, the blood was getting everywhere and Gamzee could not tear his eyes away. He noticed the man that Tavros had stabbed first watching on in horror. Equius on the other hand just leaned against the wall paying more attention to what was going on below them with a grimace on his face. Tavros looked over and gave them a thumbs up. Gamzee nodded and nudged Equius who immediately took off and jumped off the railing to land on the floor below them.

“Pardon my intrusion, but I don’t approve of your parenting methods.” Equius said walking in front of Eridan who looked up in surprise. His left eye was bruised and his bottom lip was busted. 

“Who the fuck are you?” Dualscar asked.

Before Equius could respond a muscular man, with brown hair and reddish eyes came into the room carrying a limp Aradia. Everyone froze not sure what to do.

“Boss we’ve got problems the FBI is here.”

“What?” Dualscar asked looking around frantically the sound of sirens coming from outside.

“And that’s not all,” the man continued. ”,you’re also completely surrounded and under arrest.” The man a stated. Just then Aradia’s eyes opened and the man dropped her as she brought out her whip and flung it out causing it to wrap around Dualscar’s ankle.

“REVENGE!” Aradia cried as she pulled the chain making Dualscar fall on his back. She looked up and nodded at Tavros and Gamzee who raced down the stairs Tavros now holding his gun and blood covered lance.

Equius helped Eridan stand up as the man ran over to Dualscar handcuffs at the ready. He forced Dualscar onto his stomach and grabbed his arms and read him his rights. The doors at the far back opened and in walked Henry and Santos.

“You did a wonderful job Vantas.” Santos said as he patted they younger man on the back.

“Vantas?” Gamzee asked. He took a closer look at the man and he instantly realized who he was looking at. Kankri Vantas, Karkat’s uncle.

“Hello, Gamzee it’s been a while.”

“You were Grandpa Nitram’s inside man?” Gamzee asked incredulously.

“Well you could say that Vantas was a triple agent.” Henry said as he patted Kankri on the back.

At the teens confused expressions Henry decided to elaborate. “You see kids Kankri has been working undercover for the FBI. We had stationed him in L.A. to investigate the Summoner, but after Rufioh’s arrest Santos got in touch with him and asked him to start investigating Dualscar. Not wanting to blow his cover we told him to go ahead.”

“So that’s why you weren’t able to take Karkat in, because you wouldn’t be around much?” Gamzee asked.

“That and I figured he would be safer with Henry.” Kankri said.

“I hate to break up this bizarre reunion, but where’s Cro?” Eridan asked.

Everyone looked around confusion on their faces. “Right here!” came a voice from above. Cronus was carrying a rifle and had a sadistic grin on his face he took aim, but before he could fire he dropped the weapon and clutched his shoulder in pain. “Son of a bitch!” He shouted.

Everyone turned their heads to look at Tavros whose arm was still up with the gun pointed at Cronus. Keeping his eyes trained on the fallen man he spoke up. “Are you guys going to stare all day or are you going to arrest him?” 

“Oh, right.” Kankri said and he scampered up the stairs holding another pair of handcuffs. Tavros sheathed his gun and turned to Aradia. 

“Did you find anything?”

“Yep, records of which products went where, names of dealers and pimps, and I found that other thing we talked about.” Tavros nodded at her.

“You three did good work. If anyone needs medical attention Porrim is outside.” Santos said. Equius lead Eridan out of the room and outside. Tavros put his hand on Gamzee’s shoulder and they walked outside as well. 

”You okay babe?” Gamzee asked concern on his face.

“I may have strained myself a little.” Tavros said quietly. Gamzee immediately picked Tavros up and carried him to where Porrim was.

“Auntie Porrim, Tavros hurt himself because he stopped using his mother fucking crutches when he wasn’t supposed to.” Gamzee called out as Tavros started to hit him again.

“Asshole, she’s already pissed at me because I sassed her earlier.” Tavros hissed. Gamzee just grinned evilly at him. Tavros and Gamzee were then scolded by Porrim because of their injuries, and she confiscated Tavros’ motorcycle key. 

Santos, Henry and Aradia stayed inside the warehouse. The older men questioning Aradia on what she found. “They have a lot of women they were planning on… distributing. I also found records on where their labs are.”

“And the man who killed your mother?” Santos asked. Aradia sighed and pulled a folder out of her side sack.

“I got his name, he’s a professional hit man, but that was all I could find.”

“Don’t worry we should be able to work with this.” Henry said. “Now let’s get these guys locked up so we can all go home. I’m motherfucking starving.” Henry shouted and everyone cheered.

“I could use some food, and a bath. Would you mind joining me?” Tavros asked Gamzee as they got in Equius’ car. 

Gamzee grinned at him. “I would motherfucking love that.”


	15. Where Do We Go From Here

At the Nitram house everyone was taking the opportunity to rest from the previous night. Tavros and Gamzee were in Tavros’ room playing video games or watching movies and cuddling.

“You’re sure you’re okay? That jerk didn’t touch you inappropriately?” Tavros asked as he passed up a disgruntled Yoshi who had previously been blue shelled.

“I told you nothing happened my clothes were on when you found me, right? Trust me Cronus would’ve left a motherfucker buck ass naked.” Gamzee responded as he sent a red shell at Mario. He chuckled as he heard Tavros mumble ‘asshole’ next to him.

“I just want to make sure otherwise I would’ve killed him.” Tavros said as he crossed the finish line. “Yeah, beat you again!” he exclaimed raising his arms up in victory. Gamzee then proceeded to tackle him. They fell off the bed laughing loudly. While this was happening Aradia and Kanaya were passing by the room. 

“Well it sounds like they’re having fun.” Kanaya commented.

“Yeah, but it sounded like Equius and Eridan were having a banging good time.” Aradia said with a smirk. Both girls giggled knowing that when they saw aforementioned boys they were going to have to make fun of them.

“I missed you so much.” Kanaya said looking at her only female cousin.

“I missed you too Kan. We should go to the mall some time, I’m thinking of changing my look again.” Aradia said looking hopeful.

“Yes, absolutely.” Kanaya agreed as they walked into the kitchen to make brunch.

“Is grandpa still asleep?” Aradia asked as she grabbed some milk from the fridge. The family had given Jane the day off because everyone needed a break after the craziness.

“He and Horrus are at the police station to talk to Mr. Makara about Dualscar and the rest of his gang. Hopefully someone will know what to do about Eridan, since the original plan was for him to not get involved.” Kanaya said preparing a bowl so she could make pancakes.

“That’s got to be rough, oh shit I forgot to call Sollux he might’ve seen the news by now!” Aradia whipped out her cell and began dialing her boyfriend’s number and ran into the living room area. Kanaya shook her head with an amused grin on her face. A scream went all throughout the house and the current occupants all rushed to the kitchen. Tavros and Gamzee arrived to find Aradia sitting at the kitchen table staring at her phone like it was possessed.

“What is it Arasis?” Gamzee asked.

She looked up at the boys with wide eyes. “Gran is coming, here. Today. Like right now!” She said her fear rising.

Tavros’ breath hitched and Gamzee looked at him quizzically. He hadn’t heard much about Gran Megido, only that she had taken responsibility for raising Aradia.

“Okay look in the cabinets there should be the tea she likes in there. Um, oh crap we gotta clean the living room.” Tavros said rushing out of the kitchen.

“Get back here and sit down, you aren’t allowed to move around so much yet.” Aradia said sternly.  
Tavros turned around to glare at his sister, but she glared right back. “Sit your ass down somewhere and let me handle it.” Aradia said firmly. 

Tavros sat down on the sofa with a frown. Aradia looked at him and he looked back with a questioning look. Aradia gave him the ‘I’m watching you’ gesture and Tavros simply stuck out his tongue, and turned on the TV. Equius and Eridan walked into the room to see Tavros pouting on the couch. Deciding not to go anywhere near that ticking time bomb they walked into the kitchen. “So, what’s going on in here?” Eridan asked.

“Granny Megido is coming to visit and we need to make sure she’s happy the moment she motherfucking gets here.” Gamzee said with a smile as he stood at the stove while Kanaya and Aradia were looking for the special tea set they used for these visits.

“She’s seen the news and she’s going to come here so she can talk to Grandpa. Since he isn’t back yet that means we’ve got to keep her occupied.” Aradia explained.

The teens all helped out to make the necessary preparations. They were so busy in fact that they didn’t hear the doorbell ring. Since he wasn’t doing anything Tavros got up to go answer the door. On the other side stood a tall Japanese woman with greying hair that was styled in a high bun. She wore a green button down blouse with black dress pants. She had a slight disapproving expression. This was Kimiko Megido.

“Haisai Soba.” Tavros said with a small bow.

“It’s too late to impress me and you know it, boy.” Kim said.

“Can’t blame a guy for trying.” He replied.

“Mhmm.” She said before giving him a brief hug. “I am glad you’re doing better.” She whispered. He hugged her back.

“Thanks Gran.”

They broke apart and Kim looked inside. “Now, where that lying brat you call a sister, I have a big bone to pick with her.” 

Tavros stood back and let her inside the house. The teens were all scurrying around in the kitchen and Tavros and his grandmother stared in amusement until Kim cleared her throat. All the commotion in the kitchen ceased until Aradia came out of the kitchen followed by Gamzee.

“Gran, it’s good to see you.” Aradia said as Gamzee went to Tav and carried him back to the couch.  
“No moving around motherfucker.” Gamzee chastised at a pouting Tavros.

“Everyone sit.” Kim commanded. Everyone gathered in the living room and sat down. “Now I see two new faces.” She stated pointing.

“Gran this is Gamzee Makara, he’s my boyfriend.” Gamzee waved at her. She waved back amused.

“And this is Eridan Ampora, my boyfriend.” Equius stated.

“Hello.” Eridan greeted

“Hi there.” Kim replied. “Now that introductions have been made, who here would like to tell me about the other night?” she asked leaning back in her chair.

The teens just looked around each other unsure of where to start. Eventually they all took turns telling the story until they came to the end. Kim let out a long whistle. “You kids need a vacation.” She said. They laughed and agreed.

“So Gran you’re not mad?” Aradia asked.

“Oh, I’m mad and you are so grounded, but I am glad that monster is going to prison.”

“We also got information on the guy who killed mom. The FBI is going to try and track him down.” Tavros said. 

“That’s good to hear.” Kim said with a smile.

The back door opened and Santos walked in with Horrus. Both men stopped at the sight of Kim, the others turned to stare at them expectantly. “Ms. Kimiko, it’s a pleasure to see you. How have you-“  
“Oh cut the crap Horrus, and come over here and sit down.” Kim said in a stern voice. Horrus visibly flinched and moved to sit on the unoccupied love seat. “You too, Santos.” Kim said pointedly. Heaving an exasperated sigh Santos sat next to Horrus, bearing a pout. 

“So what is you would like to talk about?” he asked.

“What happens now?” Kim asked.

“Dualscar’s lawyers are going to try to get him acquitted, but the evidence is stacked against him. Despite that I fear that it won’t be enough and we’ll need witness statements for him and Cronus.”  
“So, what about the sex-trafficking victims?” Tavros asked.

“A few are willing to come forward, but I think we’ll need more. We need to make sure that he stays in prison for life, with no chance of parole.” Horuss stated.

“I’ll do it.” Eridan said.

Everyone looked up to stare at him. “What, it’s going to have to be me. Don’t act like you didn’t see this coming.”

Tavros put his hand on Eridan’s shoulder. “We just want to make sure you understand what this means. He could disown you, and you’ll be putting him away forever. Are you sure you can handle it?”  
“Trust me Tav in my mind he disowned me a long time ago. I know what I want and I’m going to put him away.” Eridan said looking determined.

“Okay.” Tavros said sitting back.

“Then its settled Eridan will also be put on the witness stand and Dualscar will be put away.” Santos said.

“When will all that actually go down?” Gamzee asked.

“The dates and hearings are still being processed it could take a couple of months to actually get to that point.” Horuss explained.

“What will happen to Cronus?” Aradia asked.

“After having undergone a psyche evaluation, it was found that he’s been suffering with a personality disorder and he was not getting the proper treatment for it. He’ll been sent to a rehabilitation center to get the proper treatment he needs. There is hope that he will get better and soon be allowed back into society, after he serves his time.” Santos said.

“I was always wondering about that. Sometimes he would be calm and happy, but then he would become cold and distant. He would lock himself in his room to get high. Dad never seemed to notice or care that he was being weird.” Eridan explained.

“Eridan when did you notice Cronus behaving strangely?” Santos asked.

“It started when he was fifteen. At first it was small stuff, but then it would escalate. At first I thought it was just puberty, but after he got suspended from school for biting someone it went downhill from there. He got into fights, became disrespectful to adults, and he started sleeping around, with guys and girls. Then he got involved with the gang and he just got violent.” Eridan explained.

“Horuss, call Henry we may have more fuel to add to the fire.” 

Horuss got up and started dialing the number.

~Meanwhile at FBI L.A. headquarters~

“This is Makara… what… are you sure? Yeah I’ll look into it, I’m not sure if we’ll be able to press charges at this point though… Yeah, okay… Thanks, bye.” Henry hung up his phone and massaged his temples. ”I can’t believe this.” 

“What’s wrong?” Kankri asked as he came up to the desk carrying two mugs of coffee.

“It seem that Oliver let his eldest son run around with and untreated disorder. We may have to have a chat with Cronus and hear his side.” Henry said with a tired voice.

“I could do it.” Kankri said. “I’ve been studying him and he might open up to a more familiar face.”

“Even if it’s the face of someone who betrayed him?” Henry asked.

“I’m not worried.” Kankri said looking down. He got a far off look in his eyes like he was remembering something. His brown eyes were sad and slightly lost. Henry’s seen that look before on countless people, but something about it being on Kankri’s face was weird. He stared in mild confusion before his eyes widened in realization, and he slammed his mug down.

“KANKRI VANTAS, YOU DIDN’T!” Henry yelled. Kankri squeaked at being yelled at. They got a few stares and some glares for disturbing the peace.

Kankri looked down in shame and embarrassment. “I did.” He said quietly.

“But what about?”

“I was in a really stressful situation. There was a chance to sit in on a meeting, but since I was still new I had to…” he sighed. “Work for the privileges.” He said through gritted teeth.

“Oh my God, are you okay?”

“I’ve come to terms with the fact that I broke my vow. It wasn’t in vain, so I didn’t feel that bad.” He said shifting his weight from foot to foot. 

“Buuut…” Henry said knowing there was more. Karkat did the same thing when there was something more to say.

“I liked it, and I just don’t understand.” The younger man admitted quietly.

“Kankri, if you want, you can go home early. I think you need to be by from here for a little while, go get some rest.” Henry said gently.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, we still need to find a way to properly stabilize Cronus’ condition. I’ll let you know when he’s ready for interrogation.”

”Thanks Henry.” Kankri said.

“No problem kid.”

With that Kankri left for the day to get some much needed rest. Henry sat back and sighed. His boys were going to be the death of him.


End file.
